Granger appointed leader of working group to address border crisis

Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) recently announced she was appointed to lead the congressional working group established to address the influx of unaccompanied minor immigrants arriving at the U.S. border from Central America.

House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) appointed Granger, the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, to lead legislative efforts to address the humanitarian and national security crisis unfolding at the border.

“Every day between 250 and 500 unaccompanied children are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, which has overwhelmed and strained the resources of the border patrol, local officials and the states,” Granger said. “The border patrol cannot do their primary job of securing the border, and there are not enough adequate facilities to house, feed or treat the healthcare concerns because of the increasing number of unaccompanied children being apprehended at the border on a daily basis. The border states, including my home state of Texas, deserve solutions and the resources necessary to alleviate the serious issues they are currently having to manage.”

Granger called the situation “dire” and said solutions needed to be developed and implemented quickly to prevent the problem from growing.

In a recent subcommittee markup of the fiscal year 2015 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, Granger inserted $120 million in assistance for Mexico and Central America to increase border security, combat human trafficking, and support repatriation and reintegration programs.

“This commitment signals the serious and immediate efforts that must be made to fully address the crisis that has developed along our southern border,” Granger said. “We know the majority of the unaccompanied children are traveling from only a handful of countries, so it’s vital that we focus our efforts on Mexico and Central America to resolve this crisis.”

Granger’s amendment would also facilitate a regional dialogue on issues related to unaccompanied children being apprehended at the U.S. border.