Texas Democrats Condemn Biden Border Wall

President Joe Biden (D) recently announced for border wall construction to take place in South Texas. The move has come with much scrutiny, with Texas House Democrats condemning the border wall.

Texas Representative Veronica Escobar (D) claimed that border walls have a totemic aspect that represents the failures of the immigration system.

“Walls are a symbol of our broken immigration system and of the lack of political will in Congress to address immigration reform.”

The congresswoman continued, stating that she had stood against spending money on the border wall in the past. Furthermore, Rep. Escobar pointed to her Dignity Act which she cosponsored. The bill aims to find dignified solutions to border security and the border crisis.

“I’ve never voted for wall funding, and I remain adamant that the solution is bipartisan immigration reform. I've put forward a bill with my colleague @RepSalazar: the Dignity Act.”

“We cannot continue to waste time and money on policies that harm people and the environment and do not reflect our country's values. Walls are an expensive, ineffective, and harmful distraction from the real work of legislating,” said Rep. Escobar.

“I urge the @WhiteHouse to reconsider this decision — especially the disastrous choice to waive environmental laws — and work with Congress to reinvest these funds in border modernization and technology to improve safety and security.”

One of the most common criticisms of the border wall construction is the potentially harmful environmental impact it could have. Texas Representative Joaquin Castro made sure to highlight the dark possibility posed by the South Texas barrier.

“Yesterday, news broke that the Biden administration is waiving 26 federal laws — including the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Farmland Protection Policy Act to allow for new border wall construction in the Rio Grande Valley. 1/”

Rep. Castro compared the Biden administration’s plans to build a wall to the Trump administration’s policy on the border wall.

“We’ve been here before. Under the Trump administration, the government seized hundreds of acres of private property from Texas landowners and diverted $10 billion from the military to fund a border wall that wasn’t effective in deterring migration. 2/”

The San Antonio native began to hint at the idea that Biden’s wall construction was politically motivated and possibly had ulterior motives.

“Border walls are costly political stunts that raise the risk of catastrophic flooding in border towns while doing nothing to address security at ports of entry — where most fentanyl enters the U.S. Last year, 88% of people convicted of fentanyl trafficking were U.S. citizens. 3/”

Castro, similarly to Escobar, pointed to his past stance on the border wall legislation.

“In 2019, I led the bipartisan fight to end the emergency declaration Trump used to build his wall. The U.S. is spending more on the border now than at any point in our history. We need to do more to address the root causes of migration, but a wall isn't the answer. 4/”

“Waiving the Safe Drinking Water Act and other federal laws to build the border wall is a dangerous mistake that will hurt Texas families. President Biden should keep his promise and prioritize common-sense immigration reform instead of rushing down this dark road. 5/”

Texas Representative Greg Casar (D) pointed to the idea that walls can be divisive. Moreover, Rep. Casar questioned the effectiveness of border walls.

“For years, we have fought against border walls because they are inhumane, don’t work, & divide our communities. Republicans may have pushed for this funding in 2019, but President Biden did not have to take extra steps to make it easier to build a border wall in South Texas.”

Democrats have often stood against border walls, and Rep. Casar called for them to look for a safe immigration system.

“It’s Democrats’ job to push back against border walls, and create an immigration system that is safe and orderly for asylum seekers. 2/”

“It’s our job to change policies, like Trump-era sanctions, that contribute to destabilization of Latin American economies. I urge the Administration to reverse this needless decision. 3/,” said Rep. Casar.