SAN DIEGO — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Congressman Darrell Issa addressed immigration policies while visiting the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday.
"This has become in many ways the epicenter of the Biden, Harris border catastrophe and now we're concerned in congress this is illegal immigrant invasion is threatening the integrity of our election," Johnson said.
Also at the border was Benjamin Prado. He provides humanitarian aid to migrants and shared his thoughts after the press conference.
"We saw the disinformation that somehow people vote when that's not a fact. the slanders that continue to spew," Prado said. "Working people come through, families, entire families as well as small children they're here right now."
Meanwhile Johnson had differing thoughts.
"These are not huddled masses if families seeking asylum from persecution from their home country. By and large these are people coming here probably with ill design," Johnson said.
CBS 8 walked over to the wall once the press conference ended and the only group we saw was a family with a child. We talked to the dad through the border wall as they got tea from the humanitarian aid station.
"We've seen thirty years of building border walls and in those thirty years it has not reduced the number of people coming. Not by one. We need to address the economic reasons for people crossing," Prado said.
Johnson urged support for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act also known as the SAVE Act. It would require documentation showing U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. So far it has passed the house. It’s now in the hands of the senate, where it’s unlikely to pass. President Biden has vowed to veto the measure.
WATCH RELATED: Speaker Johnson, Rep. Issa speak in San Diego at U.S.-Mexico border