Rep. Chip Roy on Sunday accused Democrats of using migrants as “political pawns” amid a surge of crossings at the U.S. southern border as a Trump-era immigration policy limiting asylum seekers is set to expire.
“Democrats want to simply throw more money at the border and then process more human beings while they’re getting abused,” Mr. Roy, Texas Republican, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “They’re the ones using them as political pawns for their crass political purposes. They’re using the Hispanic community.”
The policy, known as Title 42, is to expire Wednesday. Illegal border crossings, already at all-time highs, are expected to increase.
The influx of migrants led to the mayor of El Paso, Texas, to declare a state of emergency Saturday.
Mr. Roy said Sunday that Democrats lack “interest in actually working to try and secure the border.”
“[It] means turning people away, and detaining them rather than processing and releasing them,” he said.
SEE ALSO: West Texas buckling under influx of migrants near El Paso
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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