Texas Insider Report: HOUSTON, Texas – After weeks of shocking reports detailing the humanitarian crisis at the Southern Border, and Sen. Cruz’s recent Congressional Delegation (CODEL) trip to the Rio Grande Valley, President Biden finally ended his media blackout of border detention facilities allowing press inside the Donna Customs & Border Protection facility for the first time during his presidency.
The footage taken by Sen. Cruz (at right, with Sen. Cornyn,) and his Senate colleagues allowed the American people to finally see the crisis that President Biden’s radical immigration policies created – a crisis President Biden tried desperately to hide.
Sen. Cruz led the fight to shine a light on this crisis, repeatedly calling for President Biden to allow the media access to cover what is happening on the ground.Eight days after Sen. Cruz’s initial request for press access and mounting pressure, President Biden allowed a pool camera access to the Donna facility.
How We Got Here:
March 16: Sens. Cruz and Cornyn announced their CODEL trip to the southern border – which ended up totaling 19 U.S. Senators – to tour federal facilities and meet with Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, and local stakeholders.
March 22: Sen. Cruz demanded President Biden allow free and fair reporting on the humanitarian, national security, and public health crises at the southern border. President Biden refused despite the White House claims that they were committed to transparency.
March 24: Sen. Cruz and his colleagues held a press conference before leaving for their CODEL demanding President Biden end his ridiculous and hypocritical media blackout.
March 26: Sen. Cruz and his Senate colleagues took and released photographs and video from inside the Donna facility, offering the American people a glimpse of the heartbreaking reality of this crisis. This footage dominated television news coverage of the crisis this weekend, turning up the pressure on President Biden.
March 27: Sen. Cruz sent a 2nd letter to President Biden demanding press access in the aftermath of his visit to the Donna facility and ahead of his trip to the Kay Baily Hutchinson Convention Center, where thousands of immigrant boys are being held.
March 29: President Biden refused press access and continued his blackout for Sen. Cruz’s visit to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.March 30: After relentless pressure from Sen. Cruz and wall-to-wall news coverage of the photos and videos that emerged from the CODEL, President Biden allowed news media inside the Donna Customs and Border Protection facility for the first time, marking a tremendous victory for transparency and all those deeply concerned about the impacts of this worsening crisis.
Bottom Line: It shouldn’t have taken two letters, 19 U.S. Senators traveling to the border, and eight days for President Biden to finally listen to Sen. Cruz and allow media into the Donna facility. It was an important step toward shining a light on the crisis cascading across Texas and the rest of the nation.
Now, President Biden must take action to build the wall, end catch and release, and reinstitute the remain in Mexico policy to protect our borders and enforce our immigration laws.
