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Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) released the following statement on President Biden’s acceptance of her invitation to visit El Paso:

“Decades of Congress addressing immigration solely as a border issue, while actively shrinking legal pathways, and failing to get beyond paralyzing political gridlock has created a humanitarian crisis that is being unfairly shouldered by communities like mine. As the situation continues to evolve, I am grateful that President Biden has accepted my invitation to El Paso. Though the challenges of immigration do not fall on the Executive Branch alone, the Administration has been working closely with me and many others on solutions. While Title 42 is not the answer to the challenges at our border, I’m grateful to the White House for deploying historic resources and support for border communities and creating expanded legal pathways for asylum seekers.

“El Paso has been the epicenter of this humanitarian crisis. We are feeling the effects of decades of failed and outdated immigration policy. While most Republicans have focused largely on the political points they score every time they parachute into my district and propose more of the same failures in policy and innovation, I have been working tirelessly with local government and non-governmental organizations alike to navigate our hopelessly outdated immigration system, and with my colleagues in Congress to reform self-defeating policies, find real solutions that both preserve our security and uphold our country’s values. El Paso has so proudly demonstrated these values, especially during the season of giving. In times of great challenge, El Pasoans have answered the call with the generous and kind values our people are known for.

“I am proud to have President Biden join us at our nation's front door to witness firsthand the depth of what we are facing and the tremendous collaboration and goodwill of El Pasoans as we continue to ask our Republican colleagues to work with us on true solutions.”