Congressional field hearing to be held at Alerus Center Wednesday on border crisis' impact on North Dakotans

May 23—GRAND FORKS — A U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement field hearing will be held in Grand Forks on Wednesday, May 29. At the hearing, bipartisan congressional subcommittee members will discuss the effects of the border crisis on North Dakota residents and communities, a press release said.

The hearing, called "The Biden Border Crisis: North Dakota Perspectives," will begin at 9 a.m. at the Alerus Center Ballroom 3, the release said, and will feature four local witnesses: North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley, Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner, Walhalla Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rebecca Davis and Renville County Sheriff Roger Hutchinson.

The hearing follows a failed vote in the U.S. Senate Thursday on legislation regarding migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The bipartisan border security bill — which also failed in the Senate in February — would reform U.S. asylum laws, hire thousands of border agents and seek to curtail fentanyl smuggling, among other reforms, according to a Reuters report.

The vote failed 43-50 on Thursday.

Sen. Kevin Cramer and Sen. John Hoeven — both North Dakota Republicans — each voted against the border bill.

"The Biden border crisis is a direct result of his intentional decision to undo President Trump's successful policies," Cramer said in a statement. "President Biden facilitated this mess, and he should be the one to fix it."

"The Biden administration has created the crisis at the border by failing to uphold existing immigration laws or enforce policies like Remain in Mexico and Safe Third Country Agreements," Hoeven said in a statement. . "The Biden administration does not need more laws to secure the border, they need to enforce our existing laws."

The May 29 hearing in Grand Forks will also be live streamed on the

House Judiciary GOP YouTube channel.