MCallen, Texas - The number of migrant children and families seeking to cross the southwest border of the U.S. has surged to levels not seen since before the pandemic.
Senator Roger Marshall was on the southern border of Texas this weekend to observe the humanitarian crisis "our biggest, most immediate national security threat. Amidst the COVID-19 battle this has now turned into a public health crisis as well, as he described it.
Statistics released March 10 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection show the number of children and families increasing by more than 100% between January and February. The number of kids crossing by themselves has risen 60% to more than 9,400, forcing the government to look for new places to hold them temporarily amid the pandemic.
"There is nothing humane about what we have going on right now at our southern border," Marshall wrote on social media. "We have such big masses of people and we can’t handle the volume. Without secure borders, we cannot ensure our nation’s safety, period."