‘We should all be concerned’: Gov. Cox details trip to US-Mexico border
Feb 5, 2024, 6:29 AM | Updated: Mar 14, 2024, 2:32 pm
Utah Congressman, John Curtis visited the U.S. southern border and was shocked to see how much control the cartels have there. (KSL TV)
(KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY — After a trip to the southern border with 14 other Republican governors, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox detailed his experience in Texas, calling the border crisis a public safety issue.
Cox returned from Texas on Sunday saying he will continue to put pressure on President Joe Biden and Congress to fix issues at the border.
“Things have gotten significantly worse, especially over the past year,” Cox said. “There’s a record number of illegal migrants who crossed the border illegally.”
A reported more than 3.2 million people illegally crossed in 2023. Cox compared that to Utah’s population of 3.4 million.
He said the situation at the border is something Utahns should care about because the impacts of illegal immigration are felt here.
“We’ve heard several governors say that every state is a border state right now,” Cox said.
Utah is welcoming
He noted that he believes Utah is welcoming to immigrants and refugees.
“There are lots of false narratives around here that if you care about border security, that means you hate immigrants or refugees,” Cox said. “That is not true.”
Cox said he thinks Biden needs to enforce existing immigration laws.
“President Biden can’t fix all of this, but he can fix most of this with the authority that he has,” Cox said.
He said Congress should make changes, too.
“Congress has also abdicated their responsibility for the past 40 years to help fix some of the things that are broken with immigration,” Cox said.
The journey to the States can be deadly. Cox said when people do make it to the states, including Utah, there may not be a guaranteed place for them to stay.
“It’s putting a strain on our resources,” he said.
