Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Monday he did not vote for the Border Safety and Security Act because he is "looking for real, tangible solutions."
The Republican Party of Texas censured Gonzales last week for voting with Democrats against the bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.
"I am looking for real, tangible solutions that help the people in my district today — not three years from now," Gonzales told "Spicer & Co." "A lot of things in politics, including those on the Republican side, like this Border Safety and Security Act, are total B.S. that have 0% chance of passing into law and helping people along the border."
"There's a lot of things we can do in Congress, and I'm not just going to go along to get along," he continued. "If I get censured for it, then oh well."
A retired Navy veteran who served 20 years, including five in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gonzales said he knows what war looks and feels like.
"We are at war [at the southern border] and the sheriffs are at the front lines of this all," he said. "The take away for me was two things: One is we have to help law enforcement. They're undermanned, overpowered. They need help now."
"The other takeaway is we visited an unaccompanied child facility in Uvalde," he continued. "There's literally tens of thousands of children that are being let go into the country. Nobody's looking out for them. There was a 5-year-old little girl there — it's heartbreaking — and the Border Patrol agents told me they found a small baby in the field that was covered with fire ants. Thankfully, they found the baby in time to save it.
"It's absolutely hell on the border, and this has to stop."
Bristling slightly when asked about the censure, the Lone Star State congressman said he is "not interested in the B.S.," he is "interested in actual solutions."
"Who cares how we got here?" he asked. "Yes, Democrats are terrible. Yes, they want to blame [former President Donald] Trump for everything that's wrong. I get all that.
"If this Border Safety and Security Act was law, it would mean if DHS did not have the ability to hold someone for the duration of their claim, which they don't, what do you do with this 5-year-old little girl?" he continued. "Do you throw her on the other side of the river? What do you do with her?"
"If you want to start with immigration reform, you start with border security," he added. "I'm committed to that."
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