Rep. Tony Gonzales: 'Any Time You Open Up (Migrant) Centers, the Community Loses'

(CNSNews.com) – Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, says Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will visit San Antonio later this week, not to check on the broken southwest border, but to address a gathering of The International Association of Fire Chiefs.

“In San Antonio, it’s about two and-a-half hours from Eagle Pass, they opened up a migrant center a few weeks ago,” Gonzales told Fox News on Monday:

“And as soon as this migrant center opened up, it was at max capacity, like other places. And people around the city have started to complain.

“So Mayorkas is going to be making a trip to San Antonio later this week. And what he’s going to find out is this migrant center is ran by the San Antonio Fire Department.

“So any time you open up these centers, the community loses. Right? These firefighters would much rather be out in the community keeping people safe than in these migrant centers all day long.”

According to a July report from a San Antonio nonprofit, people living near the new, federally funded migrant resource center are concerned and outraged:

While city officials said the center is not a shelter, a San Antonio Fire Department official said the building has 600 cots: “Those already are not enough — the city sends overflow migrants to nearby hotels,” the report quoted Department of Human Services Assistant Director Jessica Dovalina as saying.

According to the report, since the center opened on July 7, 9,583 migrants have used its resources, according to city officials, out of 17,397 total migrants who have passed through San Antonio during that time frame.”

Gonzales on Monday noted that the number of illegal aliens pouring across the border “continues to swell,” showing that “the administration isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do and expel people who don’t qualify for asylum.”

“Enforce the laws that are already on the books,” Gonzales said.

“I will tell you, House Republicans are committed to ensuring that we keep the pressure on. When we win back the House, you’re going to see hearings, you’re going to see people brought forth, you’re going to see a transparency that we haven’t seen in this administration. They like to hide the numbers. They like to move things around.

“Like I said, back in the ranch, back home in the district, you’ve got communities that are impacted by this. These NGOs, these nongovernment organizations that used to do a lot of wonderful work with homeless and drug addiction and other areas, suicide prevention, they’re all sucked up into this migrant crisis as well, so our communities are losing out.

“Now we have firefighters in these migrant centers, operating these migrant centers. When is it going to stop?”

Gonzales said he’s already hosted 12 congressional delegations on trips to the border, and this week, he’ll bring Republican congressional candidates to the border: “That way, on day one when Republicans take back the House we’ll be ready to go.

“What will we push for? We’ll push for remain in Mexico, that’s a policy that worked. We will push to keep Title 42 around until there’s an alternative. That’s another area that’s working. And ultimately repatriation flights. These are people that do not qualify for asylum that are returned back to their country of origin.

“You do these things, coupled with some others, like technology, add technology to the border, more boots on the ground, all of this — it can go away if you put the resources towards it. House Republicans are certainly committed to it but we have to educate ourselves. That’s why I’ve been hosting all these delegations at the border,” Gonzales said.

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