There Is Chaos at the Border and Finger-Pointing in Congress
For her part, Vaughan recommended Washington spend more money "removing criminal aliens."
Grothman said he wants to learn more about how much taxpayers must pay for unauthorized migrants who have access to welfare benefits, housing and Medicaid.
In the back of the room sat Kurt Leptich and his wife, Sheila, of the California border town Brawley. They were visiting family and read about the hearing, and figured they'd stop by. Leptich told me he's seen local hotels, even a country club, turned into housing for migrants in recent years.
Leptich doesn't think it's fair that outsiders can break American laws and be rewarded with a "motel room with a flat-screen TV and a telephone."
The newcomers did not match Leptich's expectations.
"If they're escaping persecution, I would think they would arrive destitute," Leptich told me. He did not expect to see people who looked well-fed and carried working cellphones.
I ask: Were things different under former President Donald Trump than they are under Biden?
Yes, Leptich responded.
"I wish we had some of Trump's policies with a person that could be normal."
Contact Review-Journal Washington columnist Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com. Follow @debrajsaunders on X.
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