Bowman calls out Lawler: ‘Have you been to the border?’

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) got into a heated exchange over border policy with Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) Thursday night.

The spat comes as House Republicans have recently made demands to link aid to Ukraine to changes to border policy.

“Why won’t Republicans simply come to the table with an actual plan to negotiate on the overall immigration system and border security, by itself?” Phillip asked Lawler during an interview on CNN.

The New York Republican responded, “Republicans are the only ones that have actually passed anything on border security.” He added that the border is “an immediate crisis.”

Bowman then jumped in, criticizing Lawler for “speaking like an expert” on the issue when he hadn’t been to the border.

“Have you been to the border?” Bowman asked.

“Not yet,” Lawler replied.

“The man hasn’t been to the West Bank, he hasn’t been to the border, but you’re speaking like an expert on both,” the New York Democrat interjected, while noting his trips to the border and meetings with Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The conversation between the Empire State lawmakers then devolved into the two talking over each other, trying to make their points. 

The interview comes after Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a roughly $111 billion national security package, backed by President Biden, to provide aid to Ukraine and Israel, along with measures targeting the southern border.

However, it faces rough terrain as Republicans press for more aggressive proposals on the border.