No Democratic members of the House Homeland Security Committee will attend a planned trip to McAllen, Texas, on Wednesday, Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., has confirmed.
"It’s deeply disappointing that the Minority members of the Committee have chosen to bail on this week’s full committee field hearing in Texas, only after they invited and confirmed a minority witness for one of the panels," he said in a statement, the Daily Wire reported.
"The only message their absence sends is that they are uninterested in coming to the table to have a conversation about the devastation that this border crisis is having on Americans and their communities across the country," he continued. "We will continue to encourage our Democrat colleagues to get out of the DC echo chamber and meet Americans where they are to discuss the biggest issues facing them."
Green is set to lead a Full Committee field hearing in the Texas town "outlining how the crisis at the Southwest border is a direct result of Secretary Mayorkas’ failure to enforce the laws of our country."
Testifying at the panel will be U.S. Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Director Steven Cagan, National Border Patrol Council Vice President Chris Cabrera, as well as Texas state officials and local law enforcement.
The Democratic members have contended that Republicans intend to use the event for political purposes.
News of their absence comes as border officials continue to struggle with waves of illegal migration and record crossings under the Biden administration. Roughly 2.4 million migrants entered the U.S. in fiscal year 2022 alone and more than 4 million have done so since Biden took office.
Earlier this week, more than 1,000 migrants attempted to storm across the border at El Paso, Texas.
Related Story: Border Patrol Stops Over 1,000 Migrants Who Broke Through Mexican Lines to Demand Asylum
