Simpson Offers Comments after Visit to Border

LONGVIEW — State Representative David Simpson of Longview has returned from a visit to our southern border. He tells KETK the immigration crisis is getting worse every day. According to Simpson, “It was overwhelming seeing children, mothers crying in really basically what amounted to a jail.” At a senate hearing Wednesday, immigration officials told Congress 57,000 unaccompanied children have been picked up at the border since October. “Some of the people, when they described the unaccompanied children and why they were coming, they said three reasons: hope, hope, hope,” added Simpson.

Simpson says this immigration crisis is shedding light on a flawed system that needs a major overhaul. He says tighter regulations, additional immigration judges, and follow-ups to ensure immigrants are becoming productive citizens are all key components to ending the crisis. Simpson says after days of seeing the despair firsthand, immigration is not a political issue to him — it’s humanitarian. He comments, “There is a place for being compassionate for those seeking asylum, unaccompanied minors and families that are avoiding conflict and war and drug lords and assault — for welcoming those who will work hard and fear God, uphold our laws.”