Speaker Mike Johnson and a large delegation of Republican lawmakers traveled to the Southern Border on Wednesday to address the ongoing crisis in person. Appearing in Eagle Pass, TX, Johnson reiterated his calls for the Biden administration to compromise on funding and enforcement, with the latter being all but non-existent under the current president. 

As RedState previously reported, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has steadfastly refused to admit there even is a crisis, and he's now facing impeachment for his insistence on not following the law. In an almost poetic scene, though, proof arose during Johnson's speech of just how serious the situation is.

Here is video of migrants crossing into the United States just a few feet from ⁦@SpeakerJohnson⁩ and House Republicans. pic.twitter.com/IL0T7bequa

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 3, 2024

If you're Johnson, you couldn't have scripted that moment any better. Whatever words came out of his mouth (which RedState will cover once the clips come out), they were never going to be as effective as actually having illegal immigrants cross right in front of everyone. 

There was a time when politicians would go to the border and the press would breathlessly write articles claiming that everything was in order because no crossings were seen. It was a cheap attempt to undermine the assertion that a crisis exists. That time is no longer. The Speaker of the House can't even go to the border without having illegals cross in his camera shot. Things are so bad that the Border Patrol can't even keep up appearances anymore. 

How does the administration continue to hand-wave this all away? The same way they always do: Lying.

“Actions speak louder than words,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement first obtained by POLITICO ahead of two days of Republican border visits. “House Republicans’ anti-border security record is defined by attempting to cut Customs and Border Protection personnel, opposing President Biden’s record-breaking border security funding, and refusing to take up the President’s supplemental funding request.”

Republicans could give Biden every dollar the United States has, and none of it would make a difference if it isn't used to actually beef up border security and expedite asylum claims, most of which are not legitimate (i.e. economic migrants). Right now, much of the resources being sent to DHS are being used to process illegal immigrants and release them into the interior. 

They aren't cracking down on illegal crossings, and they aren't expanding the number of judges so as to quickly adjudicate cases. The current situation at the border is one of an open door, encouraging more and more illegal immigration.

Johnson and the rest of the Republican caucus should stand their ground. Do not give Biden a dime for Ukraine unless serious border reforms are included, and that means not leaving it up to the discretion of Joe Biden. If it takes a shutdown, then shut the government down.