Congressman tours southern border, says policies 'crazy'

The 8th District's congressman termed federal policy at the U.S. southern border "crazy," after visiting with Border Patrol agents in California and Arizona last week.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith said he was among about a dozen members of Congress who toured the area to see firsthand immigration conditions on the ground.

"It's not open borders. It's no borders," he said in a telephone interview. "You see it on TV, but when you are there, it's crazy."

Smith said the group started at the port of entry in San Diego. There, he said he witnessed agents discovering crystal methamphetamine, some of which was hidden in vehicle gas tanks.

From there, the group visited other areas along the border, away from checkpoints, where he said the nation is having a "huge inflow of illegal aliens who are just crossing the border illegally."

The tour ended in Yuma, Arizona.

"A couple things really stood out at me. When most people think of illegal aliens crossing the southern border, they are thinking about people from Mexico, Central America and South America. But since Jan. 1, they have had illegal migrants come across just at the Yuma ranger station from 60 countries," he explained. "While I was there, I literally saw a family from Romania surrender to the Border Patrol. ... I saw individuals being processed who came from India."

Smith said immigrants from Asia and Europe have entered the country at the southern border, taking up "de facto residency." He said immigrants from around the world are flying to Mexico and paying drug cartel fees for passage to the U.S. border. Those fees can range up to $15,000 per person, he said.

"If they don't pay, they are murdered," the congressman noted.

He also said those helping people sneak into the country are using children as pawns, keeping Border Patrol agents busy while immmigrants slip across the border or couriers smuggle in drugs miles away.

Smith encouraged federal agencies to reimplement policies in place during the presidency of Donald Trump, including measures to keep immigrants in Mexico instead of the United States until authorities determine their status and construct a full wall along the 2,000-mile border.

Smith said border crossings are at historic levels: "In March, more illegals crossed the southern border than live in Springfield, Missouri."