Rep. Calvert Tours Murrieta Border Patrol Station

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) released the following statement following a tour of the Murrieta Border Patrol Station and a briefing by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) on the transportation of illegal immigrants detained in the Rio Grand Valley of Texas to Riverside County:

"I continue to be frustrated by the fact that the Obama administration's failure to enforce our immigration laws has reached the point where detained individuals are now being transported to Riverside County," said Rep. Calvert. "What was clear from my tour at the Murrieta station is that our CBP officers are professionals who are doing their absolute best given difficult circumstances. Ultimately, the root cause of our crisis is President Obama's failure to enforce our immigration laws. Immigrants illegally entering the U.S. in the Rio Grand Valley are literally walking up to CBP officers looking to be detained, knowing that the current U.S. policy is to simply release them. I am convinced that unless we fundamentally change our approach, the crisis will only grow larger.

When Congress reconvenes next week, I will be working with my colleagues to provide extra resources, immigration judges, and other personnel, including the National Guard, to the Rio Grand Valley so that we can immediately process, adjudicate, and deport the immigrants we detain. We must send a strong signal to would-be illegal immigrants that anyone entering our nation illegally will be returned to their country of origin."

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