Justice, Youngkin seek southern border answers from Biden

Sep. 20—West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin are seeking answers from President Joe Biden on the crisis at the southern border.

Justice and Youngkin were two of 25 Republican governors Tuesday who signed a letter sent to Biden that explains to the president how the crisis at the southern border is impacting the individual states.

Justice addressed the letter Wednesday during his weekly administrative briefing, calling the situation at the southern border a "travesty."

"We've got to do something about this," Justice said. "It's an effort. We are signing a letter, or sending a letter, with 24 other Republican governors. Will it do one bit of good, or will it even see the light of day or just be thrown into a trash can? My guess is it will be thrown into a trash can. But at least we are trying."

In West Virginia, 54 volunteer members of the West Virginia National Guard returned home just last month following a 30-day deployment at the southern border as part of Operation Lone Star, the campaign launched earlier this year by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in response to the flood of migrants who are crossing the southern border. Virginia also participated in Operation Lone Star.

During their 30-day stay at the southern border, Justice said the West Virginia troops encountered 10,178 migrants trying to enter the country illegally.

"We don't know who these people are," Justice said, adding that they could be smuggling narcotics or could be terrorists.

Justice said he doesn't have plans for additional deployments to the southern border at this time, but would be willing to consider any future requests for help from Texas or other states.

The letter signed by Justice and Youngkin calls on the Biden administration to immediately relay accurate and detailed data to the states about who is crossing the southern border illegally, where they are relocating, how the federal government is processing their asylum applications, and whether they are being deported back to their home countries.

"The crisis at the southern border extends to every state," Justice, Youngkin and the 23 other governors wrote in the letter to Biden. "As a result of your policies which incentivize illegal immigration, our states are carrying the burden of both the years-long surge in illegal border crossings and cartels' coordinated trafficking of drugs and human beings. 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. As governors, we call on you to provide honest, accurate, detailed information on where the migrants admitted at the southern border are being relocated in the United States, in addition to comprehensive data on asylum claim timelines and qualification rates, and successful deportations. We ask for this information immediately, but also regularly as the crisis at the southern border continues."

The 25 governors blame Biden in the letter for the increase in illegal migrant crossings at the southern border.

"Your administration can no longer ignore simple facts that threaten our citizens' public safety and strain their public resources," the 25 governors added in the letter to Biden. "Since you have taken office, there have been over 5.8 million illegal crossings at the southern border. In addition, your Customs and Border Protection agency estimates 1.6 million crossers have evaded apprehension. Even illegal crossings at the northern border have increased exponentially under your administration, in some areas by nearly 850%. In the past two years, 244 people on the terrorist watchlist were stopped trying to cross the southern border— an all-time record. Absent transparency from your administration, though, we cannot know how many terrorists have evaded capture and are now freely moving about the country."

In addition to Justice and Youngkin, governors who signed the letter included Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Mississipi Governor Tate Reeves, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens