Wyoming governor says 'different approach is needed' at U.S-Mexico border following visit

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon says a "different approach is needed" to solve the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border following his visit there with other Republican governors.

"Wyoming citizens are impacted by a failure of the Biden administration to engage in its constitutional duty to secure our border," Gordon said in a press release. "Seeing the conditions and hearing firsthand from agents on the ground made it clear that a different approach is needed and more resources are necessary to secure our border from drug trafficking and human smuggling."

Gordon was among the 11 Republican governors to meet Wednesday at the border in Texas to demand action from the Biden administration.

The governor has been an outspoken critic of the administration's immigration policies since the president took office. Gordon joined 25 other GOP governors recently in sending a letter requesting a meeting with President Biden on the matter. However, the president never responded to their meeting request, according to the governors.

The 26-member coalition also set forth a 10-point plan to address immigration issues. Known as the Joint Policy Framework on the Border Crisis, the document calls for the federal government to refuse entry to immigrants to stop the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the flow of illegal drugs into the country.

Gordon said that Border Patrol agents mentioned during the visit that cartels have been taking advantage of federal policies and dominate the drug and human trafficking markets.

Data from the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation shows a significant increase in the amount of fentanyl seized inside state borders.

According to Customs and Border Patrol data, the number of seizures at the southern border has increased 500% since August 2020.