Chairman Goodlatte to Lead Bipartisan Trip to Rio Grande Valley Next Week

Washington, D.C. —Next week, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) will lead a bipartisan trip to the Rio Grande Valley Sector of the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday, July 2 and Thursday, July 3 to seek information about the sudden surge of children, teenagers, and families seeking to enter the U.S. illegally. Members of the House Judiciary Committee traveling to the border will tour federal facilities and meet with those witnessing this problem firsthand at the southern border, including law enforcement officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as officials from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Department of Justice.

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Immigration Statistics estimates that the illegal migration of minors will grow from 6,000 last year to an estimated 142,000 in 2015. As of last week, DHS has seen about 50,000 minors attempting to cross into the United States and over 40,000 family members for FY 2014. The estimated number to be apprehended in 2014 represents a 1,381% increase since 2011, while the projected number of 142,000 apprehensions in 2015 represents a 2,232% increase.  The House Judiciary Committee, which has primary jurisdiction of our nation’s immigration laws, held a hearing on this issue earlier this week.

Chairman Goodlatte released the statement below on next week’s border visit.

“Word has spread around the world about the Obama Administration’s lax immigration enforcement and administrative legalization programs and it has encouraged thousands of children, teenagers, and families from Central America to come to the United States illegally and take advantage of this situation. Law enforcement officials who testified at the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week state that this surge shows no signs of stopping and that once these minors and families are here, it will be years before they face the possibility of removal – if they are removed at all. Next week, members of the House Judiciary Committee traveling to the border will meet with those dealing with this problem firsthand so that we can determine how to stop this border crisis.”

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