WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) joined his Republican colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee in requesting an Appropriations Committee hearing on the security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border. Congressman Gonzales and his colleagues sent a letter to House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) asking for a hearing as soon as possible. Read the full letter here.

“Illegal border crossings have skyrocketed this past month and are set to exceed the record-breaking numbers we saw in 2019,” said the letter. “Just yesterday, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents and Army National Guard members encountered 5,204 individuals illegally crossing the border, adding to the more than 200,000 illegal border crossings so far this year.

“Over the last two years, Congress and the previous administration passed legislation to strengthen our border and provide the resources needed to assist agencies with the surge of migrants. We are eager to continue working together to gather the facts about the current situation on the border and develop solutions to address this crisis. We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.”

“Every week, I see firsthand the problems caused by the lack of resources at the border,” said Congressman Gonzales. “Our border communities are hurting and I plan to use my position on the Appropriations Committee to ensure we are utilizing all our resources to combat the ongoing crisis at our southern border.”

Congressman Gonzales’ district includes over 820 miles of U.S.-Mexico border territory. In February, he visited the reopened shelter for unaccompanied minors in Carrizo Springs. Earlier this month, he went to Eagle Pass and participated in a ride along with border patrol and some more roundtable discussions with local officials in our border patrol communities. Over the last six weeks as the crisis has worsened, he’s has met with local officials in Presidio at the Port of Entry, Uvalde, Del Rio and almost every other border community in his district.