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Sobbing boy begs smugglers not to leave him alone; ‘The Five’ weighs in<\/p>\n
The Department of Homeland Security<\/u> (DHS) and states along the southern border<\/u> face an economic hurdle as President Biden<\/u> stays mum on when he will reopen the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n
The Biden administration’s silence on reopening the border, which has been closed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, comes amid recent news that Biden did not approve additional funding for DHS in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year <\/p>\n
DHS depends on the revenue from legal southern border crossings for funding, and communities along the border also make critical cash off people crossing over the border into the U.S.<\/p>\n
The Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston, Texas, estimates<\/u> Texas border counties will lose $4.9 billion in total GDP from Mexican tourists and shoppers being unable to cross the border, equating to 6.1% of total GDP.<\/p>\n
Arizona is missing out on a hefty chunk of change, too. The Arizona-Mexico Commission estimated <\/u>in 2019 that “visitors from Mexico contribute more than $7 million a day to Arizona\u2019s economy by shopping in stores, eating at restaurants, staying in hotels and spending money at businesses in the state.”<\/p>\n
This means if the 2019 numbers hold steady, the Copper State is losing out on an estimated $7 million a day in potential economic revenue.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the California tourism board, Visit California<\/u>, estimated that travelers from Mexico spent 75.8% less in 2020 than in 2019, with revenue from Mexican travelers in the state dropping from $4.256 billion to $1.028 billion.<\/p>\n
In fact, San Ysidro, Calif. \u2014 whose economy is dependent on visitors from across the border \u2014 saw nearly a <\/u>quarter<\/u> of all its businesses permanently close during the pandemic. One-hundred ninety-seven out of 800 businesses in the town shuttered due to COVID-19 nonessential travel restrictions.<\/p>\n
Several lawmakers from border states sent a bipartisan letter<\/u> to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, calling on him to “commit to a plan” to lift travel restrictions and reopen the border.<\/p>\n
The letter was led by Sens. John Cornyn<\/u>, R-Texas, and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and featured several signatories from both chambers, including Blue Dog Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.<\/p>\n
Cuellar joined some of his fellow border community colleagues in Congress in a different letter<\/u> to Biden, Mayorkas, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken asking for the border travel restrictions to be lifted. <\/p>\n
When asked by Fox News for comment, Cuellar\u2019s office pointed to a Tuesday statement released after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a disaster declaration along the southern border.<\/p>\n
Cuellar said he disagreed with the governor\u2019s disaster declaration, saying the situation was a “complex humanitarian crisis” and that the Biden administration is “working to address the root causes of this influx – providing resources and aid – as well as strengthening Diplomatic efforts in Central America.”<\/p>\n
Abbott announced the disaster declaration Tuesday as a response to the “growing surge” of migrants attempting to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas.<\/p>\n
The disaster declaration authorizes the use of all available state resources in helping Lone Star State law enforcement protect Texans from “criminal activity and property damage.”<\/p>\n
In a statement, Abbott blasted Biden\u2019s “open-border policies” as the open door for “dangerous gangs” and other criminals, as well as “deadly drugs like fentanyl,” to illegally come into Texas.<\/p>\n
“Meanwhile, landowners along the border are seeing their property damaged and vandalized on a daily basis while the Biden Administration does nothing to protect them,” Abbott said in the statement.<\/p>\n
Fox News\u2019 David Aaro contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n