Additional Coverage:
Speaker Mike Johnson is scheduled to embark on a trip to the southern U.S. border adjacent to California and Mexico this Thursday. This excursion aims to spotlight and criticize the Biden administration’s border control strategies outside of the national capital.
Johnson plans to hold a press conference at “Whiskey 8,” a border barrier location near San Ysidro, California, just south of San Diego. California Republican Representative Darrell Issa will join him, along with a tour of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities at San Ysidro Port of Entry and at Imperial Beach, his office confirmed to ABC News.
At the conference, Johnson is expected to discuss what the Republicans view as shortcomings in the Biden administration’s efforts to secure the border. He will also talk about the SAVE Act, legislation recently approved by the House to prevent noncitizens from participating in U.S. elections.
The focus on border security and immigration comes as these issues dominate voters’ concerns ahead of the upcoming presidential election, which is slated to be closely contested between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris has garnered sufficient delegate support to likely secure the Democratic nomination.
Recent reports indicate a notable increase in border encounters in the San Diego area, recording the highest numbers across U.S. border regions, although these numbers have dropped by 60% following the introduction of new asylum restrictions by the Biden administration earlier this summer.
Johnson’s trip was announced following the House’s passage of a resolution condemning Vice President Harris’s immigration policies. The motion was supported by six Democrats from tight congressional races.
Before the vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the resolution as baseless during his weekly press briefing, clarifying that Harris has not been appointed as a border czar, despite Republican claims.
Johnson’s last border visit was in January 2024 to Eagle Pass, Texas. He was accompanied by a group of 64 Republicans.
Moreover, the House recently approved its own border legislation titled the Secure the Border Act, although a bipartisan Senate border bill has been rejected, influenced by former President Trump’s urging of Republicans to discard the proposal.