***The Iowa Standard and other media outlets have tried to ask Congressman Randy Feenstra how he voted on Congresswoman Liz Cheney retaining her leadership position within the GOP conference. Feenstra has refused to answer how he voted on either of the votes regarding Cheney’s leadership position. Sources have indicated he voted for her to remain in leadership, but Feenstra has refused to answer.***
Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04) joined his colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, urging the department to take immediate steps to prepare for 3,000 Central and South American migrants expected to reach the southern border in coming weeks. In the letter, lawmakers warned that 400 law enforcement officers armed with anti-riot gear in Mexico were not even able to stop the massive caravan.
“We are deeply concerned about what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is doing to prevent a similar situation at our southern border, especially when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) field agents are already overworked, undermanned and under-supplied as a result of the influx of migrants this year,” the members wrote.
Feenstra and his colleagues asked the Biden administration to provide answers to several questions, including:
- What has DHS done to prepare for this caravan, including diplomatic efforts with Central American countries to stop it as it gains momentum?
- How is DHS collecting, receiving, and sharing intelligence on this caravan through the interagency process to ensure malign actors are not making their way to — and into — the United States?
Recently, Feenstra joined his colleagues in a separate letter to Secretary Mayorkas warning vaccine mandates for border patrol agents would have an adverse impact on border security efforts.
“The Biden administration has failed to provide agents with the resources needed to confront the unprecedented crisis at our southern border,” Feenstra said. “Firing agents for something that should be a personal decision, not the government’s, would further impede our border security efforts and result in an even less secure border.”
These efforts come after Feenstra visited with leaders in Central and South America to discuss border and national security, including efforts to combat drug trafficking and supply chain disruptions.
