Rep. Chip Roy Calls to Stop Funding Government: ‘We're Being Invaded’

The United States is currently under “invasion” at its southern border, according to Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who called to reject funding a government that refuses to secure the border, pass his discharge petition to preserve the policy that helps border officials regulate the inflow of illegal immigration, and have the Lone Star State “stand up” in the fight to protect the border.

Claiming the establishment in Washington “doesn’t like to sign discharge petitions,” Rep. Chip Roy, appearing on the Dana Show with Dana Loesch Wednesday, first suggested that with another six to eight Democrats joining, enough signatures could be garnered to allow for moving a bill on the House floor.

In general, “the Speaker sets the agenda and that means the Speaker decides what comes up on the floor,” he said.

However, he noted an exception. 

“Two hundred eighteen signatures on a discharge petition to move a bill means we can move a bill on the floor,” he said. “So we need six, seven, [or] eight Democrats to join us to get up to 218 signatures.” 

“And so the media should ask every Democrat: ‘Why won’t you sign this discharge petition?’” he said.

The Texas Republican also called to stop funding the government.

“[On] September 30, the government funding runs out,” he said. “Well, we’ve got now five and a half months and we should fight and say, ‘Do not fund a government that refuses to secure the border.’” 

“Let’s have that fight,” he added, though sensing Republicans would “run away” from the notion. 

According to Rep. Roy, a shutdown is most appropriate under current circumstances.

“Stop funding a government that is not doing its job and that is taking away your [liberty],” he said. “You’re funding the government that’s targeting DOJ, targeting parents who go to a school board and complain, and you’re funding a DHS that refuses to secure the border.” 

“Don’t do that,” he added.  

He also suggested Texas “do more.”

“Governor [Greg] Abbott has done a lot in terms of DPS [Department of Public Safety] and there’s $3 billion in funding and we’ve got DPS guys down there helping or building some fence — that’s all good,” he said. “But it’s slow and it’s not for the times.”  

“The times dictate that we need to actually go down there and do our own work as Texans to secure the border,” he added. “Under the Constitution of the United States, we’re being invaded and we should treat it as such.”

The Texas congressman described the situation as an “emergency.” 

“Our ranches, livestock, people, drugs, cartels, danger… the body trailers down in South Texas — we need to stop that and we need to stop it now because we’re being invaded,” he said. 

Highlighting the dangers of cartels and narcotics posed to Texans, Rep. Roy claimed the Constitution allows for the people to “stand up” and do their part to stop the “invasion.”

“Let’s do our part as Texans and say, ‘No, you’re not coming into Texas, we’re stopping you,’”  he said. “That’s a big statement and I get that that’s big but the times call for it.” 

While Texas “needs to stand up,” he claimed he was “trying to do what I can [by] moving the Title 42 discharge petition.” 

“I’m going to pick a funding fight between now and September about funding a government that refuses to secure the border,” he said.

Rep. Roy’s comments come as the Biden administration plans to end the Title 42 policy that helps border officials regulate the inflow of unprecedented levels of illegal immigration, in a move expected to bring an even larger wave of migrants to the U.S. southern border.

America currently faces record-high levels of illegal immigration, with more than 209,000 migrants apprehended after crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. in March, the highest number of migrant apprehensions for one month since March 2000 — the last year of the Clinton administration. 

It also breaks the Biden-era record of 200,658 set in July 2021.

Last year, President Biden set new records for illegal immigration by enticing more than two million border crossers and illegal aliens to take the often deadly journey through Mexico to the nation’s southern border in the hopes of being released into the U.S.

Earlier this year, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was reported to have admitted in private that illegal immigration in President Biden’s first year in office is “worse now than … ever” in American history.

Last week, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) accused President Biden of significantly damaging national security by deliberately creating a border crisis to expand the Democrat voter bloc, as he called for an investigation into the president over his actions.

On Monday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) warned the country was heading toward the “biggest migration crisis in U.S. history” as a result of Biden administration policies.

Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.