Bucking the general stance of his party, Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, on Friday praised the Biden administration's decision to construct additional sections of border wall at the U.S. border with Mexico.
"This is a necessary step to help Texas' overwhelmed border communities deal with this current surge of migrants," Allred said in a statement to The Hill.
The administration announced Wednesday that it will waive 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction in Starr County, using funds that were allocated during the Trump administration.
"I have long said that targeted physical barriers have a role to play in securing our border at high traffic areas, but this is only a partial solution," Allred said. "What our state really needs is comprehensive immigration reform, including adequate funding for border security personnel and technology."
Democrats have largely condemned the decision, viewing it as reversal of Biden's campaign pledge to not build another foot of former President Donald Trump's border wall. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told Biden to "take responsibility" for the decision and immediately "reverse course," while former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, described the move as "impotent political posturing."
The Biden administration also didn't score any political points with Republicans over the move, with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, calling it "window dressing" that doesn't address the root causes of illegal immigration.
"This is a crisis," Cruz told Fox News on Thursday. "It's out of control, but I don't believe for a minute that Joe Biden wants to fix it. I think this is all window dressing to pretend he cares."
Allred, who seems poised to win the 2024 Democrat primary to challenge for Cruz's Senate seat, chided the Republican incumbent for what he described as a superficial level of commitment to the border.
"Unlike Ted Cruz, I won't use the border as a backdrop for photo-ops and political safaris," Allred said. "I will work across the aisle to find long-lasting solutions to fix our immigration system in a way that reflects our values and meets the needs of our economy."
Biden took aim at Democrat criticism on Thursday, saying he was backed into a corner by legal restrictions.
"The money was appropriated for the border wall," Biden told reporters. "I tried to get them to reappropriate, to redirect that money. They didn't. They wouldn't. In the meantime, there's nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated for. I can't stop that."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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