AUSTIN, Texas — The battle over border security continues at the State Capitol as Republicans and Democrats held dueling news conferences on Wednesday about a resolution recently approved along party lines in the Texas Senate.

  • Republicans and Democrats held dueling news conferences
  • Claim each side is wrong about border security

It declares that there's a crisis at the Texas-Mexico border, but Democrats are pushing back.

Republicans were met by immigration rights protesters chanting outside the press conference.

Inside, lawmakers warned of drug smuggling, human trafficking and violent cartels that threaten the safety of Texas and the United States.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called the influx of migrants to the border not just a security crisis, but a humanitarian crisis.  

"The sky is blue, water is wet, and we have a crisis at our southern border. These are statements of obvious fact," Cruz said.

Democrats are angry that they were never part of the conversation on the resolution. They're also not happy with a part of it that states the "Texas Senate supports the President in his efforts to move forward with emergency action."

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) joined state Democrats Wednesday calling the president’s declaration fear-mongering, a false narrative he says republican state senators fell right into.

"We also believe that Senate Resolution 535 plays right into President Donald Trump's hands, and that it is complicit in doing a few things, number one encouraging him to shut down the Texas-Mexico border," Castro said.

Democrats have very little to say about this resolution other than the fact that it calls for the federal government to end family separation at the border as a means of deterring refugees.

Both sides were asked about any efforts to work together on a solution, but both stood firm that the other side was wrong.