Congressman Tony Gonzales speaks to border agents in El Paso
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Congressman Tony Gonzales, who represents parts of the Borderland, held a news conference in El Paso Thursday. He met with Border Patrol and U.S. CBP agents andĀ visited one of the U.S. Customs and border protection soft-sided facilities. The congressman who represents part of El Paso held a news conference andĀ gave an updateĀ on theĀ numberĀ of migrants.Ā "In the last couple of days, there have been anywhere between 1215 hundred people that have come over illegally. In detention right now is over 4500 people at that soft sided facility where I was at earlier today and has a capacity of 2500" said Gonzales.
He also says the El Paso processing facility is now at almost double its capacity and does not want theĀ chaos at other parts of the country to come to El Paso.Ā Gonzales also addressed theĀ trade and commerce crisis. He said,Ā "I think it's so critical that we have theĀ bridge open and our passenger lanes open, but our also our railway system open for the trade and commerce is so critical not only to El Paso and but also to the rest of the country as well."Ā
GonzalesĀ says he does not want to punishĀ our legal trade system during the border crisis andĀ does not thinkĀ Americans shouldĀ be affected by a chaotic environmentĀ "We have to surge immigration judges to the border. We have to get cases, asylum cases heard in days, not years.Ā if somebody does not qualify for asylum, which right now nine out of ten people will not qualify for asylum, most people coming over are coming over for economic purposes. They should be sent back to their country of origin, not sent all over different parts of the country. ThisĀ is absolutely a federal issue that can only be solved when the federal government starts enforcing the law that's already on the books"Ā said Rep.Ā TonyĀ Gonzales.