House Homeland Security Committee Democrats Exempt from Field Hearing on Texas Border Crisis

Democratic members of the House Homeland Security Committee are reportedly withdrawing from field hearings in Texas over the border crisis.

Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Greene, of Tennessee, told Fox News that members of the Democratic Party are refusing to attend hearings at which U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz was scheduled to testify.

Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, chant slogans as activists march in their support into downtown El Paso, Texas on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Several hundred people marched through the streets of El Paso the day before the first political-thorny visit to the southern border. ((AP Photo/Andres Leighton))

“It is deeply disappointing that the minority members of the committee decided to forego a full committee hearing this week in Texas only after they invited and confirmed a minority witness for one of the commissions,” Greene said. “The only message their absence sends is that they are not interested in sitting down at the negotiating table and talking about the devastation this border crisis is inflicting on Americans and their communities across the country.”

NATIONAL HOME SAFETY COMMITTEE TO HOLD FIRST LEFT HEARING ON TEXAS BORDER CRISIS

He added that the committee will continue to encourage fellow Democrats to come out of the DC echo chamber and meet with Americans to discuss the biggest issues they face.

Last month, the House Homeland Security Committee announced that it would hold its first off-site hearing on March 15 on the southern border crisis, giving Republicans an opportunity to highlight what they call a direct link between the chaos and unrest on the border and the policies of the Biden administration.

On Sunday, a group of migrants broke into the bridge connecting Mexico with El Paso, Texas. (Fox News)

The hearing is due to be held in McAllen, Texas, and is in line with Republican pledges to close the crisis, which is now in its third year.

MCCARTHY IN ARIZONA SAYS ‘NO ONE BELIEVE’ THAT ADMIN’S BIDEN CLAIM BORDER IS SAFE

The event also comes nearly a month after the committee held a “border boot camp” in El Paso, Texas and a full border security committee hearing.

Republicans stressed the need for lawmakers to visit communities affected by the border crisis and see the impact firsthand to help shape legislation.

There were over 1.7 million encounters with migrants in FY 2021 and over 2.3 million in FY 2022. Fiscal year 2023 was on track to beat those numbers.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Adam Shaw contributed to this report.