Lawmakers sent a letter to Amtrak Wednesday requesting a briefing as well as all documents related to how taxpayer subsidized Amtrak may be used to transfer illegal immigrants across the border.
The Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee signed the letter, led by railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark.
“Due to the dysfunctional border policies of the Biden Administration, the United States Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) recorded an unprecedented number of border encounters in the last few years,” the letter said. “To date, this fiscal year has seen over 1.7 million encounters at the border, over 600,000 more than last year at this time, and roughly 1.4 million more than in the last year of the previous Administration. We are concerned about the impact that a significantly greater border surge could cause to your services and the potential use of Amtrak in the Administration’s response to its self-created border crisis.”
The lawmakers point to the surge of illegal immigration across the border. Illegal immigration is expected to rise even further if the Trump-era Title 42 policy allowing federal agents to expel illegal migrants in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 ends as the Biden administration plans.
