When politicians visit the border in Texas, what they see often depends on the party they’re from. Republicans usually see Eagle Pass. Democrats often see El Paso. And while they all walk away with a photo op, that doesn’t mean they’re getting the full picture.
In the past few years, more than a hundred Republicans have visited the border town of Eagle Pass, the site of an ongoing battle between the federal government and Texas over who has the authority to police the border. The visits are often enforcement-focused, featuring tours of border patrol facilities and briefings with both officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and increasingly with members from the Texas Department of Public Safety as the state has devoted resources to Operation Lone Star.
Democrats, meanwhile, more often visit El Paso, where they tend to meet with not just immigration enforcement figures, but migrant-focused groups too — sometimes even migrants themselves. Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar has hosted more than 30 House Democrats who made the trip to El Paso to see the immigration crisis up close, according to her office.