Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, told Newsmax Wednesday that the U.S. government must label the drug cartels at the southern border as terrorists to hold them responsible for the havoc they are causing.
"Today, during the hearing, one of the witnesses said, 'It's time to label cartels as terrorist organizations because they're terrorizing people,'" Gonzales said during "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "I've been saying that for two years, and we have to yell it from the rooftops that it's time to hold those [people] responsible."
Gonzales, whose district covers around 42% of the 823-mile border of Texas and Mexico, said that the second issue that needs to be addressed to slow the flow of migrants would be to restrict those taken in seeking political asylum because the majority do not qualify.
"Nine out of 10 people that are coming over illegally are seeking asylum but do not qualify for asylum," he said. "So stop sending them down that route. They're coming here for one purpose and that is an economic purpose."
He said he has hosted more than 100 members of Congress at the border in his district, and thinks it is important to keep telling the story of what is happening there.
Gonzales said Republicans are likely to win in 2024 if the message to voters is that the GOP supports legal immigration and Democrats support illegal immigration.
He said that in addition to completing the wall at the border, the situation also requires "manpower" and technology to make a system to secure the region.
"Walls alone will not work. You need manpower, and you need technology. It has to be a system," he said. "What's happening is that the Biden administration is quietly starting to reimplement some of the wall programs and fill in some of these gaps. Why? Because it works. But there has to be more than just that."
Gonzales, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, said Congress needs to stop handing the Department of Homeland Security "blank checks," hoping it will address the problems.
"We have to hold them accountable," he said. "Part of that is continuing to tell the story. Let's label cartels as terrorist organizations.
"Let's find legal routes where people can come over and work, not get pathways to citizenship and voting and access to social services ... we do a couple of these things, and I think we start to solve the problem."
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