Continued Chaos At The Southern Border

President Joe Biden and his administration have singlehandedly created a historic, disastrous situation at our southern border by eliminating and reversing policies formerly put in place. The swarm of migrants at the open border has caused an extremely overwhelmed Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and mayors of border communities continue to beg for assistance and leadership from our commander in chief as they have dealt with this security and humanitarian crisis for more than two years now.

On his first day in office, President Biden halted construction of the border wall. While physical barriers are not the only means of enforcement, they are certainly an effective tool for stopping the flow of illegal immigrants in certain areas. Later, he ended the Migrant Protection Protocols or 'Remain in Mexico' program that directs migrants seeking asylum to stay in Mexico until their hearings in the U.S convene. The president also restarted the dangerous 'catch and release' program that ties the hands of law enforcement from detaining and deporting criminals. And this year, he allowed Title 42 to expire, a critical tool that allowed border patrol agents to turn migrants away for potential risk of spreading communicable diseases. These misguided policies are clearly viewed as an invitation for illegal immigrants to swarm the border and try to get in since the likelihood of successful entry and getting to stay in the United States is now much higher.

Since President Biden assumed office, CBP has reported that more than 5.6 million migrants have illegally crossed the southern border, and countless have even evaded apprehension and escaped into our country. CBP has also reported that all four major border patrol sectors are now nearing or are over capacity due to the increase in migrant encounters along the border. While most migrants making the trek to the U.S.-Mexico border are seeking a better life for themselves and their families, many bad actors are also taking advantage of the open border. Indeed, with this has come the flow of criminals, human traffickers, suspected terrorists and dangerous, deadly drugs including fentanyl.

Securing the southern border and restoring safety for Americans and our border patrol agents remains one of House Republicans’ top priorities. And earlier this year, House Republicans passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023. This legislation is vital to securing the border and combating illegal immigration by providing for necessary resources including resuming border wall construction and giving border patrol agents necessary resources, equipment and manpower they need. It would also reform fraud and abuse in the asylum process, prevent catch and release practices and establish new penalties for visa overstays.

An open border is anything but kind or compassionate as it empowers drug cartels and human traffickers and allows fentanyl and illicit drugs to flow into our communities. H.R. 2 is a complete rejection of President Biden’s border policies and purposeful inaction, and I was certainly proud to support its passage to uphold our constitutional obligation to keep Americans safe.

A secure nation must first begin with secure borders. Just as he has done since his inauguration, President Joe Biden is ignoring the crisis at our southern border. By not reversing his and his administration’s open border policies, the president is only allowing this historic humanitarian and national security crisis to continue.