South Iowa News

U.S. Representative Zach Nunn, along with the Iowa congressional delegation, has written a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, calling for immediate action to secure the border. The letter specifically addresses the recent decision to suspend major rail crossings on the southern border, which has had a significant impact on Iowa's farmers.

"These rail crossings are critically important for transporting Iowa's agricultural products, which support roughly one million U.S. jobs and 31 percent of American farm income," expressed the legislators in the letter. They emphasized that the decision to suspend these crossings is a punitive move that will further harm America's farmers, exacerbating the pain already felt due to the border crisis.

The closure of rail crossings between Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection has had a profound effect on trade between the United States and Mexico. More than one third of the nation's business with Mexico is exchanged in this region. As a result of the closure, 60 trains sit idle every day, and 4,500 Union Pacific rail cars face delays. This has contributed to an embargo on grain and other goods, affecting the flow of legal goods between the two countries.

The delegation's letter highlights the urgency of the situation and urges the Biden administration to establish operational control of these rail crossings to reopen the flow of legal goods as quickly as possible. The legislators stressed that the closure of these crossings not only impacts Iowa's farmers but also has a broader impact on the American economy.

The letter also addresses the larger issue of illegal immigration and the failure of current policies to effectively address the border crisis. Since the beginning of the Biden administration, over 6.4 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border into the United States. These failed policies have created a national security and humanitarian crisis, with taxpayers funding assistance, transportation, and other services for those illegally entering the country. Additionally, the open border has allowed cartels to exploit vulnerable people and traffic illicit drugs, impacting communities across the nation.

It is clear that immediate action is needed to address the border crisis and protect the interests of Iowa's farmers and the American people as a whole. The letter from Representative Zach Nunn and the Iowa congressional delegation serves as a strong call to President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to secure the border and ensure the uninterrupted flow of legal goods.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

To learn more, click on this link: https://nunn.house.gov/media/press-releases/nunn-leads-iowa-delegation-letter-calling-biden-mayorkas-stop-saddling-iowas-0