Washington, D.C. — Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Republican Leader of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement after traveling to the Clint Border Patrol Station near El Paso. As part of his commitment to oversight of federal border operations, Dr. Burgess has made five trips to the southern border since July 2018. The Clint Border Patrol Station is a short-term processing center operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and its jurisdiction includes 32 miles of the border.

“This year’s unprecedented surge of illegal border crossings has over-extended U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s operations along the entire southern border. During my visit to Clint today, I encountered clean, albeit overcrowded, conditions. I also witnessed CBP officers providing quality and professional care to the migrants in their custody. At Clint, it is clear that the sheer volume of people entering the facility is overwhelming CBP’s ability to process migrants quickly, as intended.

“I will continue to prioritize oversight of border operations and hold CBP accountable for meeting our standard of care. Any wrongdoing should be brought to light. However, we must remember that the majority of CBP officers are spending each day providing compassionate care to those who survive the dangerous journey to our border, as well as protecting Americans from violent criminals, cartels, and human traffickers that seek to take advantage of the porous border.

“There is a humanitarian and security crisis on the border. It is important that House Democrats have at last accepted this reality, although their opining in the media cannot solve this problem. Enacting effective border security and addressing the loopholes in law that incentivize illegal migration is the only way forward. In the meantime, Congress must ensure that CBP and other federal agencies involved in border operations have the appropriate resources to fulfill their missions.”

Background:

Since 2014, Dr. Burgess has taken more than ten trips to the southern border, as well as many trips to Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelters for unaccompanied migrant children. Most recently, he traveled to the Rio Grande Valley sector alongside fellow physicians serving in Congress for a medical-focused visit to CBP facilities on June 28, 2019.

Earlier this year, Dr. Burgess returned to the Lower Rio Grande Valley sector to visit an ORR shelter in Brownsville, TX and a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing facility in McAllen, TX on May 29, 2019. In February, he visited two ORR shelters in south Florida, including the Homestead ORR facility.

Last summer, Dr. Burgess visited the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to learn about the humanitarian and economic challenges that contribute to irregular migration. You can read more about his trip to the Northern Triangle here.

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