(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden received a joint letter signed by 25 Republican governors demanding he take action at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The letter addresses the impact of the border crisis and demands the president take immediate action to alleviate the burden that multiple states have been under as they deal with the yearslong surge of illegal border crossings and cartels’ drug trafficking efforts.
“States are on the front lines, working around the clock responding to the effects of this crisis: Shelters are full, food pantries empty, law enforcement strained and aid workers exhausted,” the letter said.
All 25 governors said they are calling on the president to provide further information on the migrants at the southern border, including where they are being relocated, comprehensive data on asylum claim timelines and qualification rates.
The governors are fed up with the migrant crisis draining state funds, risking citizens’ public safety and straining local resources.
Since Biden has taken office, the southern border has seen over 5.8 million illegal crossings, the letter claims. These surges of migrants have drained cities’ resources across the nation, not just southern border cities.
And the migrant crisis at the border has become a bipartisan issue.
“This is not a New York City problem. This is a national problem. [Funding for the influx of migrants to New York City is going to come] from our schools’ services. It’s going to come from our streets. It’s going to come from what we provide to children,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey even declared a state of emergency due to the influx of migrants in her state, describing the situation as a “federal crisis of inaction.”
In May, the Biden administration ended Title 42 – the controversial pandemic-era policy that allowed border patrol agents to turn away migrants at the border, citing health risks from the ongoing pandemic.
The administration rolled out new policies, however, that blocked certain avenues to asylum claims but they have faced mounting legal challenges from progressive immigration advocates as well as from conservative opponents.
After the Biden administration first implemented the new policies, border crossings dipped in June, but rose again in July. August numbers have yet to be released.
The Hill contributed to this report.