Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen speaks at news conference in Eagle Pass. Also pictured (L-R) Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
(Eagle Pass, Texas) --Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds spoke at a news conference today (Monday) at the U-S southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas today (Monday). Texas Governor Greg Abbott hosted Reynolds, Pillen, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
The governors toured the U-S border with Mexico and surveyed ongoing efforts to deter illegal immigration, including a system of buoys in the river. Both Nebraska and Iowa have sent National Guard soldiers to support Operation Lone Star at the US southern border.
During a news conference, Pillen, Reynolds and the other governors heavily criticized the Biden Administration's immigration policies, saying those policies have led to an increase in human trafficking as well as a large influx of illegal drugs including fentanyl.
This was Pillen's first trip to the U-S southern border. He remarked there's been a misrepresentation about a system of buoys used in the river as a deterrent. He also said "we are fighting cartels who are trying to kill our kids."
Reynolds says according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, between March and May 2023, DPS seized 27,500 fentanyl tablets as well as meth and cocaine, which the bulk can be tied back to Mexican drug cartels and the current administration's border policies.