OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Videos and images went viral late last week showing thousands of illegal immigrants underneath a bridge near Del Rio, Texas.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed the no-fly zone for drones and other unmanned aircraft in Del Rio, which was clearly an attempt to conceal just how bad the border crisis has gotten.
Now, some lawmakers are arguing that the ban may not be legal.
“I believe that the reason that they’re limiting drone usage is that they don’t want the American public to know, and I think this is illegal,” Louisiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy said.
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson also questioned the drone ban, which he argued was being used by the press to cover the border crisis.
“Any government stifling of First Amendment activities is unacceptable,” Johnson wrote to Troy Miller, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
House Republican Reps. Diana Harshbarger, Brian Babin, and Jim Jordan also sounded off.
“The FAA’s conveniently placed a ban on drones flying over the international bridge where [10,000 plus] illegal aliens are waiting to be processed—preventing media from covering the scene,” Babin wrote on Twitter.
President Joe Biden “doesn’t want you to see what a disaster he’s created,” he added.
More tens of thousands of migrants flooding into the USA! Biden’s FAA now blocking drones from capturing the invasion of our country.
Spread these images far and wide to all who were brainwashed into believing “walls are racist”.
This was always the Democrats’ evil plan. pic.twitter.com/UuAVKh5YYa— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) September 17, 2021
AMAZING — Since the Biden administration has kicked @BillFoxLA and his team out from flying Fox News's drones along the U.S./Mexico border in Del Rio, TX, *local* law enforcement decided to get him a helicopter to hop in and go check things out to continue reporting. pic.twitter.com/pZ54my6E7o
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 17, 2021
NEW: From our @FoxNews drone, a look at the migrant camp under the international bridge in Del Rio this morning, where thousands migrants remain after they crossed into the US illegally. pic.twitter.com/06sUY2XCi5
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 19, 2021
NEW: There is a massive surge of Texas DPS troopers heading into the international bridge area in Del Rio. With close to 15,000 migrants currently under the bridge, law enforcement sources say they want to be proactive w/ potential security concerns for such a big group @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/rH7hPX2Od5
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 18, 2021
BREAKING: I am absolutely stunned by what I’m witnessing right now. We are on a boat in the Rio Grande near the Del Rio international bridge and we are watching as masses of hundreds of migrants walk across the river from Mexico and stream into the US illegally. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/xXE4pDkpIe
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 18, 2021
While the Biden administration ignored the deteriorating situation, Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott directed State Troopers and National Guard personnel to secure the border.
“The Texas Department of Public Safety is in full force along the border around the Del Rio area,” Abbott tweeted. “They have built a barricade with their squad cars and State Troopers. The National Guard is working with them to secure the border.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety is in full force along the border around the Del Rio area.
They have built a barricade with their squad cars and State Troopers.
The National Guard is working with them to secure the border.
@TxDPS @TexasGuard pic.twitter.com/U2XR9qgZce
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 18, 2021
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called on Joe Biden to deploy National Guard along the southern border.
“The Biden Administration must recognize this for what it is: A National Security Crisis. As such he must fully deploy the National Guard to the southern border to help our Border Patrol agents with more resources to control the situation.
“Recently, over 10,000 migrants have surged to the border in Del Rio. It is no coincidence this is happening as Democrats in Congress are moving to pass legislation that would grant immediate citizenship for up to 10 million illegal immigrants. This is a wakeup call to Democrats that their policies are putting American lives in danger and must be abandoned,” McCarthy said.
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz traveled to the bridge and called it “the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen.”
“The reason they’re here is simple,” Cruz notes in the video, which pans the area behind him, showing a mass of migrants. “Eight days ago, the Biden administration made a political decision, a political decision to cancel deportation flights to Haiti. They did that on September 8th. Eight days later these numbers appear.”
“On September 8th, underneath this bridge, there were between 700 and a thousand people,” Cruz went on. “But when the word got out that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were no longer deporting people that came from Haiti, suddenly everyone was here, called their friends, called their family, and the numbers surged to 10,503. That’s what’s here today. It is more than the capacity of the Border Patrol to handle.”
“This is the result of a political decision,” Cruz noted further. “This is the result that is indefensible. What we are seeing here, is wrong. This is inhumane and this is entirely caused by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
