TUCSON — U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-4) led 15 members of the Congressional Western Caucus to the U.S./Mexico border in Arizona on Thursday.
During an online press conference from Tucson, after touring part of the border in the Coronado National Memorial, Newhouse said he wanted to show the caucus a first-hand look at the “influx of illegal immigration.”
Newhouse said he spoke to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, local county sheriffs, farmers, and business owners to understand what their communities are experiencing.
He said migrants crossing the U.S./Mexico border have damaged federal lands, trampled important plant life, and caused farm crops to become unsalvageable from damage, along with home break-ins for food and clothes.
“That’s one of the reasons why we’re down here, to hear from the people who are in the middle of this as to what will be helpful,” Newhouse said.
He said members of the caucus held a House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee field hearing to examine the environmental impacts of the border crossing of migrants.