Canada-U.S. border policy, security new target of Republican lawmakers – National

A group of Republicans in the Capitol are turning their eyes to Canada as they mount up political criticism of President Joe Biden’s immigration strategy.

Rep. Mike Kelley of Pennsylvania and Ryan Zinke of Montana are launching a new caucus to focus on immigration, crime and national security at the Canada-U.S. border.

The Northern Border Patrol, which will be formally unveiled on Tuesday, is claimed to be bipartisan, though it’s unclear if any of its 28 members are Democrats.

Republicans in Congress are usually much more focused on the US-Mexico border, where illegal immigration is one of the weakest political aspects of the Biden administration.

But that may be changing, thanks to a steady increase in “encounters” with illegal immigrants near the Canadian border.

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Between October and January, US Customs and Border Protection recorded 55,736 encounters. This is more than half of the total number from fiscal 2022.

Members of the Caucus are “concerned about increased human trafficking and drug trafficking, along with declining border guards and lack of security along the U.S.-Canada border,” Kelly’s office said in a news release. rice field.

“Recent news reports, along with data compiled over the past two years, show a surge in illegal immigration and drug trafficking across the northern border.”

House Republicans attending Tuesday’s inauguration include North Dakota Rep. Kelly Armstrong, Minnesota Rep. Pete Stover, New York Rep. Claudia Tenney, Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain, and Texas Rep. Tony Gonzalez. included.

Officials from the National Border Patrol Council, the trade union representing U.S. Border Patrol agents, are also expected to attend Tuesday’s event, including Vice President and Fox News fixture Hector Garza. included.

© 2023 The Canadian Press