By Christian Manuel Briceno
Jul 23, 2023, 22:22 PM EDT
The buoy barrier established by Texas Governor Greg Abbott has undoubtedly generated controversy and conversation within the sphere of American public opinion. From a threatened lawsuit by the Department of Justice to an investigation by the White House, all of this has turned the US-Mexico border into the scene of a political battle between Democrats and Republicans.
Despite this, Republican congressman Tony Gonzáles does not believe that the buoys are, in his opinion, the central problem of the situation. This was stated in an interview offered to Margaret Brennan on the CBS “Face the Nation” program this Sunday.
“I don’t think the buoys are the problem. Honestly, Margaret, this has happened every week. People drowned last year as well, there were hundreds of migrants who drowned,” Gonzáles said in the interview, reviewed by The Hill, adding that the buoys “are only set up in a small part of the river.”
Despite this, Gonzáles assured that he does not agree with the tactics of the state patrolmen in Río Grande.
“Everything that is happening along the border just adds fuel to the fire. You have people at the top saying one thing and people on the ground doing another,” said the congressman.
This “disconnect” is one of Gonzáles’ big concerns.
“I see distrust. I see Republicans blaming Democrats, Democrats blaming Republicans, and so on, to no avail,” Gonzales said, adding that Congress must resolve this situation.
To this end, the congressman mentioned his presentation of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE), which offers job opportunities for documented immigrants.
“What do we do with the millions of people who are already here? What do we do with the millions of people who are coming here illegally? (…) One of those options is work visas,” said Gonzáles.
Keep reading:
– Department of Justice threatens Texas with lawsuit for buoys in the Rio Grande to stop migrants
– The Biden government announced a new investigation into the mistreatment of migrants in Texas
– The White House denounced the inhumane treatment of Texas border authorities against migrants