MCALLEN, Texas – In May, four legislators introduced bipartisan and bicameral border legislation called the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act. 

The four legislators were U.S. Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, and U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican from San Antonio.

These four legislators will conduct a tour of McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge tomorrow, June 2, at 12:45 pm. They will later hold a joint press conference. Other stops on the legislative tour include the Border Patrol Donna Temporary Processing Center and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Delphi Emergency Intake Site. The four legislators will also meet with local elected officials, stakeholders and law enforcement officials.

The legislators say they introduced the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act in response to a surge in migrants coming across our southern border. They say they want to to improve the capacity to manage migration influxes; adjudicate asylum claims in a timely manner and protect unaccompanied migrant children.

The legislators say their legislation will ensure migrants are treated fairly and humanely. They say they want to deter those who do not have realistic asylum claims from placing themselves in danger by making the treacherous journey to the U.S. southern border, thousands of miles from their home.

A number of border organizations strongly support the proposed Bipartisan Border Solutions Act. They include the Border Trade Alliance, the Texas Border Coalition, and the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. 

BTA stated: “We believe strongly that your bill will better equip DHS and the Department of Justice to efficiently and properly manage the flow of migrants in a manner that treats migrants fairly, reduces the strain on local community resources, and maintains normal port of entry operations. We are especially encouraged that your legislation will allow DHS and DOJ increased hiring authority to ensure that frontline DHS personnel can continue to carry out their critically important agency mission.”

TBC said: “Your legislation is an important step toward addressing this growing problem with adequately resourced immigration courts, smart border enforcement, common-sense immigration reform and support for local border communities that provide humanitarian assistance to migrants.”

RGVP said: “The RGV Partnership applauds the bipartisan efforts from lawmakers in both chambers to advance the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act of 2021.”

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