In Washington, House Republicans are trying to overcome internal divisions to pass sweeping border security legislation. Their final package aims to incorporate separate proposals by two Texas Republicans who had been at odds over what to do at the border. Democrats say the final bill would restrict legal immigration.

For some Texas lawmakers, addressing the issues along the southern border is about more than just fulfilling campaign promises. 

"A district like mine, which is 42% of the southern border," said Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, "this was always about finding real tangible things that would help my district labeling cartels as terrorists, that helps our district get to the root of it, giving more resources to sheriffs and border patrol agents getting a pay raise. To many of the people that live in my district it was very important.”

Gonzales sits on the House Homeland Security Committee, which on Wednesday took up legislation to resume construction of the border wall, bolster the border patrol, and upgrade the technology the patrol uses. 

This a week after Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee passed legislation to tighten asylum eligibility, impose new requirements for verifying employment, and increase penalties for immigration violations. 

"We were specifically dealing with the policy changes, making sure we're not releasing people, that we're tightening down on asylum, that we're making sure keeping families united while we, while we adjudicate their claims," said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Gonzales and Roy represent neighboring districts, but they disagreed over how to treat migrants seeking asylum, with Roy favoring a more restrictive approach. 

The dispute derailed hopes for the chamber to pass a border package quickly. The work now is deciding how to merge these two bills.

"I worked really hard to take some of the pieces out that I thought would limit legal immigration," Gonzales told Spectrum News.

"What I'm not going to support is funding for Border Patrol agents to process people rather than do their job of patrolling the border," said Roy.

Democrats were highly critical of both of these approaches.

"Something that they refuse to acknowledge or understand is a very important component of managing the border is opening up legal pathways," said Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. "When you open up a legal pathway, people want to use legal pathways. What they are trying to do is not just shut down any and all pathways; they're also trying to take away funding that helps communities like mine."

This debate comes as Title 42, the public health order that used the pandemic to justify turning away migrants at the southern border is scheduled to end on May 11.

Roy told Spectrum News that he expects the House to vote on a border security bill the week it expires.