By Kaitlin Housler | Tennessee Star
Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) traveled to a migrant caravan camp in Mexico on Friday where he claimed there is “no invasion” of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We are here in Reynosa, Mexico at the second largest migrant camp to bear witness at what is happening to this crisis of migration that really is a humanitarian crisis but is also a crisis of humanity,” Jones said in a video posted to X. “What we’re witnessing is the fact that it’s not just rhetorical violence when we see the demonization of migrants but it is policy violence.”
Jones said he met with migrants from countries in Central America and Asia and criticized Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for deploying National Guard troops to the southern border to assist Texas authorities with the state’s Operation Lone Star.
“We’ve met with refugees from so many countries in Central America but as well as many Asian migrants who are here and are seeking a way for a better life and the fact that Governor Bill Lee yesterday sent the National Guard to the border does not solve this crisis, it does not help anyone, it doesn’t keep anyone safe, but it furthers militarization and furthers inhumane response,” Jones added.
The Democrat state representative said the migrants are “people who have risked everything seeking a better life and a broken system failing too many,” insisting that “asylum seekers deserve better.”
Jones’ trip to Mexico comes less than two weeks after he called the convening of the Tennessee General Assembly a “neo-Nazi rally” as the body was debating a symbolic resolution urging the federal government to “do all within its power to secure the U.S. border.”
“Some may argue that this is a neo-Nazi rally, every time we convene,” Jones said.
