Rep. Howard, congressman Johnson discuss immigration as more migrants expected at border

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - A group of more than 3,000 Central American migrants departed this morning from Mexico’s southern border bound for Mexico City.

The organizers of the caravan have said that will be their last stop, but some of the migrants have already said they intend to reach the U.S. border.

This comes as the political fight on immigration continues to heat up in the U.S. With the candidates for the 2022 republican nomination for South Dakota’s lone U.S. House seat speaking out.

State legislator Taffy Howard, who is challenging incumbent congressman Dusty Johnson, said that having a physical barrier, like the wall proposed by former President Donald Trump, is crucial to U.S. immigration policy.

”If it’s not at the top, it’s very close because studies have shown that they’re very effective,” Howard said. “So, that should be one of our top priorities. It has to be part of the whole package to deal with this.”

Congressman Johnson has also not strayed far from Trump’s rhetoric on immigration.

Earlier this year, he signed on to the REMAIN in Mexico Act, which would bring back several immigration policies from the Trump administration.

”It would put into place the policies that President Trump had, and we know it works,” Johnson said “It reduced border crossings by 85% in the last administration. That’s what Joe Biden should do. Given his failure to act, it’s what Congress should do.”

Many immigration activists have also expressed their disappointment in the lack of work done in the new administration.

Copyright 2021 KOTA. All rights reserved.