Texas Republicans Sound Alarm Over Border Security Act

TEXAS, USA. Congressman Tony Gonzalez (R-San Antonio) is worried that the US House of Representatives could vote on the controversial border security bill as early as this week.

The bill, known as the Border Security and Security Act of 2023, would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ban anyone without valid travel documents from entering the country. This includes those who have valid asylum applications.

Introduced by fellow Texas Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Austin, the bill also allows the state to sue DHS to enforce the requirement.

Gonzalez says he strongly opposes the legislation because he says it would essentially ban Everybody asylum applications, even legal ones.

“One of the first bills we are voting for would ban all asylum applications. This is a problem,” said the San Antonio Republican. Inside Texas Politics. “While the asylum process is broken and we need to reform it, abolishing it is a step too far.”

The Border Security and Security Act of 2023 is one of seven bills listed in the U.S. House of Representatives rule package that are guaranteed to get a vote.

And Congressman Gonzalez was the only Republican to vote against this package of rules, which he says he did for two reasons.

First, it became clear to him that defense cuts were on the table after behind-the-scenes deals were made with far-right Republicans to clear the way for California Congressman Kevin McCarthy to become Speaker after 15 votes in the floor.

Second, because he says he doesn’t want to see the same chaos in the House of Representatives every two months, which he says has already started again with the debt ceiling debate.

Congressman Gonzalez joined us Inside Texas Politics just hours after the US hit its borrowing limit, the debt ceiling, forcing Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to initiate what she calls “emergency measures” to ensure the country pays its bills in the next few months.

The Republican says the worst part of this fight is yet to come, June or July, when the US will actually default.

“The sooner we can start talking, the better. It will be a stabbing. The debt ceiling will be terrible. But it’s one of those things that Congress needs to sit down and really discuss things,” he said.