Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) went on a midnight patrol with Border Patrol agents late Thursday night into Friday. He called the situation at the border in the Rio Grande Valley as “horrifying.” There was a group of about 20 illegal aliens who had turned themselves in to Border Patrol. Cruz spent about 40 minutes talking with the group which was mostly comprised of women and children.

Cruz spoke during a press conference about the unaccompanied minors he encountered. They were exhibiting signs of abuse and he told a story about one young girl in particular.

“There was one little girl who’s 13 years old,” Cruz said during a press conference in Anzalduas Park, Texas, adding that the girl had “no family with her.”

“There was another little girl who was 16 years old. She had no family with her,” he said. “There was a little boy who was 15 years old. He had no family with him.”

Cruz said they asked the minors “about the violence they’d faced on the travel over—the look in those kids faces was horrifying.”

Cruz recounted a “disturbing” conversation with a 10-year-old girl standing in the back of the group with a “man who said he was her father with his arm draped forcefully around her,” adding that “it was obvious to anyone who’s ever seen a father and daughter that these two were not related.”

“At one point when we asked about her mother,” Cruz said, “we saw her look to the man who was claiming to be her dad, wondering what’s the answer supposed to be?”

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) also was on the tour of the border with Cruz. Others who accompanied the Texas senators to the Rio Grande Valley were Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Pete Ricketts (R-NE). They urged the Biden administration to end its catch-and-release policies.

Senator Cornyn spoke on the Senate floor about the trip Monday. His office sent out a press release with some excerpts of that speech.

“Last Thursday, I traveled back to my home state of Texas, but this time to the U.S.-Mexico border along with Senator Cruz, my colleague from Texas, as well as three of our non-Texas Senate colleagues, Senators Barrasso, Lee, and Ricketts.”

“President Biden’s border policies have made it so that people from anywhere in the world can come to the southern border, say the magic words, and be released into the United States.”

“America’s southern border is the world’s worst-kept secret.”

“If we’re going to deliver consequences, which means to deter more people from coming, that means ending catch and release – which is the policy of the Biden administration – and removing people who have no legal reason to remain in the United States.”

“Until the administration starts deterring would-be migrants with frivolous asylum claims from even approaching our border, we will remain in a constant state of crisis.”

“I want to thank the many men and women in the Rio Grande Valley who took the time out of their schedule to speak with us. Their input is absolutely invaluable to the work of the Senate, and I am extremely grateful to each of them. I want to especially thank the law enforcement officers who are on the front lines of this crisis.”

“As long as a flood of humanity is coming across the border at this pace, it doesn’t matter how many Border Patrol agents or immigration judges we have. It won’t be enough. The only way to address this crisis is by deterring more illegal immigration, and the simplest way to do that is by delivering consequences for entering the country illegally.”

Senator Cornyn’s excerpts correctly describe the problem and the solution needed. The humanitarian and national security crises at the southern border are a direct result of Joe Biden’s policies – especially the use of catch-and-release. Until the administration is willing to enforce the immigration laws already on the books, nothing will change. Illegal immigrants cross the southern border because they know they can. And, once they turn themselves in to Border Patrol in order to make their asylum claims, they know that they will be allowed to stay. They can even get free transportation to a large sanctuary city of their choice, courtesy of Texas taxpayers or DHS.

Texas is the only state to build its own border wall. It is out of necessity. President Joe Biden and DHS Secretary Mayorkas refuse to do their jobs because this chaos is intentional. Joe Biden said he wants to fundamentally change America and an open southern border certainly does that. A country without secure borders is not a sovereign country. Biden has ushered in a more dangerous world with his weakness on the world stage and he is putting Americans in danger with the open southern border. There is no fear of punishment for crossing illegally into the United States. Illegal aliens are rewarded with all the social services they need, including housing, food, medical care, and education for their children. If they can make it to the border, they know they will be allowed to stay in the United States. Nothing will change until we can get Joe Biden out of the White House.