Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is pressuring President Joe Biden to take action on the southern border after reports that military families who previously booked rooms for the upcoming Army-Navy Game in Foxboro, Massachusetts, have had their reservations canceled as hotels are currently being used to house illegal immigrants.
In a letter obtained by Fox News, Ernst blasted the president, saying, “It’s clear: these cancellations are due to your administration’s decision to ship illegal immigrants across the country to sanctuary cities at taxpayers’ expense.”
The Iowa senator added, “Now, due to your untenable border crisis which has allowed nearly eight million illegal immigrants entry into the country, veterans and future service members and their families will be unable to attend this year.”
Massachusetts has a “right to shelter” law that requires temporary housing to be provided for migrants and homeless families in the state. CBS News previously reported that hotels near Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, had canceled multiple reservations for Army-Navy Game attendees as a result of the Giri Hotel Management’s ongoing partnership with the state to provide migrant housing.
READ MORE: Army-Navy game hotel rooms given away to migrants, travel agent says
Mark Mansbach, a travel agent and the owner of Hillsdale Travel, has helped military members and military families for over two decades with hotel reservations and has considerable experience with the Army-Navy Game. Prior to the recent letter by Ernst, the experienced travel agent told Fox News that roughly 60 reservations from multiple hotels had been canceled, which was something he had never experienced as a travel agent.
“It is flatly unacceptable for our veterans and military families to be displaced because of your administration’s failure to secure our southern border,” Ernst wrote in her letter to the Biden administration. “Military families who have scrimped and saved to be able to afford a trip to the Army-Navy game should not have to compete with illegal immigrants for hotel room space.”
Ernst emphasized the importance of the upcoming Army-Navy game at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 9, claiming that the game not only functions as a “recruitment mechanism” but also is an “opportunity to showcase America’s finest—the incredible young servicemembers who have stepped forward to serve their country—the Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen.”
Ernst added that the Army-Navy Game provides attendees, especially veterans, with the “opportunity to honor the next generation” of America’s military members.
The Iowa senator criticized the Biden administration’s border policies, blaming the administration for the current uptick of crime, as well as the migrant housing crisis in cities across the United States.
“Simply put, your administration’s mismanagement at the border is causing American cities to be overrun and vital resources to be stretched beyond capacity,” Ernst stated in her letter. “These problems will continue to persist until you finally take your obligation to secure our border seriously.”
