Lawmakers take dueling trips to border amid concerns about migrant surge

Republican Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn and Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro are leading dueling delegations of lawmakers to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas on Friday, amid concerns over the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the border.

Cruz said at a press conference on Wednesday that the purpose of the trip was to "see firsthand the crisis that is unfolding" on the border. Seventeen Republican senators are joining Cruz and Cornyn on a tour of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in Donna, Texas. Cruz posted a late-night video to Twitter on Thursday apparently depicting the border, and he claimed that "human traffickers & cartel members" were "yelling at us across the Rio Grande and preparing to cross." Meanwhile, Castro is leading a group of six Democratic House members to a Health and Human Services facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas. In a tweet on Friday morning, Castro said that the purpose of his trip was to ensure that children housed in the facility are "treated humanely."