Cuellar: We’re Not Doing Enough to Stop Wave of Migrants Crossing Latin America, Might Need ‘Pressure’ on Countries

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “José Díaz-Balart Reports,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) stated that there are massive numbers of migrants crossing the Darién Gap “and we’re not doing enough to stop them at their 20-yard line, and everything is being done here at the 1-yard line called the U.S.-Mexico border.” Cuellar also said that if the U.S. has to pressure other nations in Latin America to do more to stop migration from coming to the U.S., it needs to and wondered, “What happened to those regional border processing centers that we were supposed to set up in Panama and Colombia?”

Cuellar said, “Look, everybody talks about the border. You can send more personnel. You can do certain things. But that’s playing defense on the 1-yard line. If we don’t play defense on their 20-yard line and extend it and have repercussions at the border also, people are going to come in. … Look what’s happened at the Darién Gap. There are large numbers, and we’re not doing enough to stop them at their 20-yard line, and everything is being done here at the 1-yard line called the U.S.-Mexico border.”

He added, “First of all, one of the things we need to do is give authorities to Homeland where they can do the work outside the U.S. border. And that means a lot, just think about the authorities that Homeland does. And then working with Mexico and working with Guatemala, Panama, and Colombia. What happened to those regional border processing centers that we were supposed to set up in Panama and Colombia? And if we don’t, all they’re going to do is just keep coming over here. … That’s what we need to do is we’ve got to work with those countries, and if we need to put a little pressure on Mexico and the other countries to work with us, let’s go ahead and do that and get the job done. I know some of our DHS officials in headquarters, because I talked to them, they are going down to Mexico, the U.S. consulate and the embassy is talking to the Mexicans to stop those people from getting on the trains to come over here. They’ve got to do a lot more.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett