ASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Congressman James Comer led a delegation of House Republicans to San Diego, California and Yuma, Arizona to witness the humanitarian and national security crisis at America’s southern border.

The fact-finding mission came one year after Comer’s original trip to the border, when illegal immigration first began to surge under President Biden. 2021 saw over two million illegal border crossings, and the amount of fentanyl seized by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) more than doubled from the prior year.

"President Biden’s open borders agenda has rolled out the welcome mat to illegal border crossers and signaled to the world that our immigration laws can be violated without consequence,” Congressman Comer said. “Deadly drugs like fentanyl are pouring across the southern border, terrorists and criminals are attempting to exploit our immigration laws, and illegal immigrants are making a mockery of the rule of law.”

During the visit, the lawmakers conducted oversight of the escalating border crisis by touring border patrol stations, complete and incomplete portions of the border wall, and other ports of entry into the United States. The lawmakers also met with Arizona state and local officials while joining the National Border Patrol Council for a night tour of the border.

Recently, President Biden’s administration announced the end of Title 42, a policy implemented by the Trump Administration to quickly expel migrants at the southern border due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At multiple stops, law enforcement officers described the importance of Title 42 to quickly expelling illegal aliens and freeing up resources for border security.

The lawmakers also traveled to where the border wall meets the Pacific Ocean. Border Patrol agents emphasized the importance of the border wall and how border barriers are essential to maintaining operational control and public safety. The border wall creates time for Border Patrol agents to respond to illegal border crossings.