LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s Republican Senate and House leaders visited Texas last week to explore the current border situation, sharing firsthand accounts of the “immigration crisis.”

House Minority Leader Matt Hall (Richland Township) and Senate Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) visited Eagle Pass, TX, where they watched alongside National Guard units from Texas and more than a dozen other states.

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Unsatisfied with the border protections afforded by President Joe Biden’s administration, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) initiated “Operation Lone Star” to help fill the void, including heightening border security with more law enforcement and barbed wire. Since its implementation in 2021, it has “seized more than 57,000 pounds of meth, 10,000 firearms, and 473 million lethal doses of fentanyl” according to the legislators.

Legislators share personal takeaways from the trip.

House Minority Leader Hall called the situation an “immigration crisis.”

“Illegal aliens are pouring over our borders since Biden undid the successful Remain in Mexico policy, and his mistake is now letting illegal aliens exploit the asylum process to stay in the country for years on end,” he said in a statement.

He also complimented the work of the National Guard troops from other states there to help maintain the border.

“Vigilant National Guard troops from other states are tirelessly confronting the illegal immigration crisis even as Joe Biden refuses to keep our country safe,” he said in a statement. “It’s time for Democrats to listen to the American people — including legal immigrants — and get serious about securing our border and protecting our communities.”

What about Michigan?

Hall also related the impact of the crossings to Michigan, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s role in the matter.

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“In Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer is trying to talk tough while using taxpayer-funded aid to encourage these very illegal aliens,” Hall said in a statement. “First she offered them rent assistance, and now she’s hoping to pay attorneys to help them obstruct deportation.”

“Gov. Whitmer should stop trying to dole out taxpayer dollars to reward illegal immigrants and start sending our troops to help stop the crisis on the frontlines,” he added.

Senate Leader Aric Nesbitt expressed how he was shocked to “witness the chaos” of the situation at the border.

“The Biden administration’s failure to protect our nation’s borders has created a national crisis that is endangering the lives and livelihoods of Americans from Texas to Michigan,” he said in a statement. “Deadly fentanyl trafficking is killing thousands, and criminals taking advantage of self-proclaimed sanctuary communities are harming our loved ones right here in our home state.”

Republican Leaders speak against the new services for asylum seekers.

Michigan News Source previously reported on how the “Newcomer Rental Subsidy program,” introduced by the Whitmer Administration, provides up to $500 per month to eligible individuals, including refugees, asylum seekers, and “newcomer” populations coming to the state for a maximum of 12 months.

With the launch of the program last fall, with the partnership of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), those who are refugees and asylum seekers can apply for Michigan taxpayer funded rental subsidies.

“Affordable housing is a critical need for newly arriving refugees and for local community partners and sponsors who provide resettlement support,” LEO said in a statement. “The subsidy program will give refugees, asylees and other newcomer populations the opportunity to apply for rental subsidy assistance, to help families successfully integrate into communities, become self-sufficient and thrive.”

What’s the asylum process?

While many seek an affirmative asylum process, an overwhelming majority of those seeking asylum in the United States are those who initiate a defensive asylum process.

Those seeking asylum apply defensively, or those who are “in removal proceedings in immigration court”, account for the vast majority of asylum applicants according to the Executive Office for Immigration Review Adjudication Statistics which revealed of the 487,518 asylum seekers applications filed in 2023, there were 474,536 who filed defensively. Within the first quarter of 2023, there were 149,985 applications defensively filed. If the next three quarters follow this trend, there will be nearly 600,000 defensive applications for 2024.