Texas lawmaker says closing border would be ‘unfortunate’ but ‘priorities have to be determined’

Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), a co-chairman of the Border Security Caucus, on Tuesday said that it would be “unfortunate” if President Trump closed the southern border, but argued the president may be left with no other alternative.

“He’s [Trump] going to do something, he’s done all he can,” Babin told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti on “Rising.” 

“Obviously, the Congress hasn’t been able to do this — or unwilling to do it — and it would be very unfortunate to close the borders, especially from a commercial standpoint and trade,” he continued.

Trump has faced criticism after renewing threats to close the Mexican border — or at least parts of it — if Mexico doesn’t “immediately stop” illegal immigration. The president also made similar threats last year.

Babin insists that “priorities are going to have to be determined.”

“Which is more important? The price of avocados and the availability of them or the sovereignty and security of our nation?” he asked referring to reports that a border closing would cause hikes in prices of a number of agriculture products for the U.S. 

Babin also defended the Trump administration’s move to cut off millions in humanitarian aid to three Central American countries. The State Department confirmed over the weekend that the agency was directed by the president to halt aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras over illegal immigration. 

“I think the president’s decision to cut off the three Central American nations’ foreign aid — I think that’s very appropriate as well,” Babin said before adding, “These people are not helping us.”

The Trump administration’s Border Patrol chief said last week that the agents in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas had reached a “breaking point” due to a surge of migrant families seeking asylum. 

Some Democrats are calling for a different approach to addressing the spike in the number of migrant families coming through the U.S. border.

Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro, who is the former mayor of San Antonio, recently called for the decriminalization of border crossings, and a “more compassionate immigration system” as part of his 2020 presidential platform. This would require that Congress repeal Section 1325, which has made illegal entry a federal misdemeanor since 1929. 

“Our nation has lost sight of the most important component of our immigration system — people,” Castro said in a tweet on Tuesday. 

— Tess Bonn