U.S. Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) led the Iowa congressional delegation in a letter urging President Joe Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to secure the border in response to a decision to suspend major rail crossings on the southern border. These rail crossings are critically important for transporting Iowa’s agricultural products, which support roughly one million U.S. jobs and 31 percent of American farm income.
“Let us be clear: this punitive move to harm America’s farmers will exacerbate the pain already felt by families across the country because of the border crisis you caused,” said the legislators. “We, therefore, urge you to establish operational control of these passes to reopen the flow of legal goods as quickly as possible.”
On Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed rail crossings between Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas. More than one third of the nation’s business with Mexico is exchanged between Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas. For every day the railways are closed, 60 trains sit idle and 4,500 Union Pacific rail cars face delay, contributing to the embargo of grain and other goods.
Since the beginning of the Biden Administration, more than 6.4 million illegal immigrants have poured over the southern border and into our country. Failed policies have allowed a flood of illegal immigrants to enter our country, creating a national security and humanitarian crisis. Taxpayers are funding assistance, transportation and other services for those illegally entering our country. Cartels are exploiting the open border to traffic vulnerable people and illicit drugs that impact communities across the country.
Text of the letter can be found here.
