Vice President Mike Pence is traveling to McAllen on Friday to talk border security, and the visit has many wondering whether it will make a difference in the conditions of detention centers in the Valley.
“At our border, we have the responsibility over the conditions people face when they arrive here,” John Michael Torres with La Union Del Pueblo Entero said.
Just six months ago, President Trump made his way to the border in the Rio Grande Valley.
This time, it’s Pence’s turn, tweeting that he’d be visiting McAllen with the Second Lady and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying:
“The Senate passed bipartisan humanitarian relief, but much more must be done to secure our border and end this crisis.”
One local organization is calling for change too.
“The reality is that for many years this has been building up. It’s not just this president – our previous administration, the Obama administration, turned a blind eye to the conditions in these facilities,” Torres says.
Activist group LUPE says they hope the Vice President’s visit will change the conditions of detention facilities in the Valley.
“We have a really great, important opportunity right now with the Vice President coming down to say that this is not something that we will stand for any longer,” he says.
The RGV College Republicans say they’re positive that will be the case if something isn’t right.
“It shows that this administration wants to be strict, but fair. I’m more than sure if he sees something the way it’s not supposed to be, he would go through the proper channels and get that corrected as soon as possible,” Eli Garza, who is a representative for the group, said.
Each are anticipating the Vice President’s arrival on Friday afternoon.
“The Vice President is coming at a moment where people throughout the country are shedding light on these conditions in these facilities,” Torres says.
