Nothing to see here. That’s the message Washington Democrats are trying to sell the American people when it comes to the situation on the border. But as Americans know full-well, the border is anything but secure. And they know exactly what created the chaos: one-party Democrat rule of Congress and the White House. Whether it’s refusing to build the wall or getting rid of President Donald Trump’s effective border policies, every action by the Left has only inflamed the crisis. As a result, our border is a major national security, humanitarian, and public safety issue.
Let’s start with the fact that at least 78 suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the southern border so far this year – triple the previous five years combined. While that number is shocking, it’s even scarier to think about how many evil people have crossed the border undetected thanks to the Left’s reckless policies.
Washington Democrats’ radical immigration agenda is big business for the Mexican Cartels, who have made at least $2.6 billion from human trafficking in the last 12 months. And in July alone, border agents seized 2,071 pounds of fentanyl – more than enough to kill every single American. It’s unacceptable that Washington Democrats’ radical policies are helping the Cartels flood our communities with deadly drugs and violent crime.
And it’s not just Cartel activity. The Left’s sanctuary city policies are allowing dangerous criminals to stay in the United States after committing felonies. There are Angel Families across this country whose loved ones have been the victim of serious crimes committed by illegal immigrants allowed to stay only because of the Left’s radical sanctuary city policies. I’ve met with Angel Families from Missouri whose loved ones were murdered by an illegal immigrant, Luis Perez, who had previously been arrested in New Jersey for domestic violence but was let go because of local sanctuary city policies. This is outrageous and is a policy in need of change.
Under President Joe Biden, we’ve had 18 straight months of more than 150,000 illegal border crossings. And in August, there were 203,597 illegal immigrant encounters at our southern border - a 307% increase in illegal crossings compared to the last August of Trump's administration. That alarming statistic underscores just how effective Trump and Republicans’ border policies were in stemming illegal immigration.
Unfortunately, as long as Washington Democrats are in control of the White House and Congress, the situation on the border will only grow more dire. At every step of the way, they have shown no interest in getting this crisis under control.
Vice President Kamala Harris – who Biden deputized as the “Border Czar” – has largely avoided the southern border. That’s why Republican governors of states that are on the frontlines of the crisis are pushing back. They’re bringing the crisis to her doorstep – literally. When Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a bus of illegal immigrants from Texas to the vice president’s official residence in D.C., Harris criticized Abbott last week, saying, “I just think it’s an absolute dereliction of duty. If you see a problem and we agree that we need to address it, then if you’re a leader, participate in a solution, right?”
What an absolutely ridiculous thing to say. First off, the Biden administration has resettled countless illegal immigrants by flying them by plane – often in the dead of night – to communities all across the nation. But when illegal immigrants are relocated to places like Harris’s official residence, Martha’s Vineyard, or sanctuary cities, Liberal mayors and residents have a change of heart and suddenly become opponents of the policies they’ve spent years fighting for. If that’s not the height of hypocrisy, I don’t know what is.
The second issue with the vice president’s statement is that, according to her own words, the Biden administration’s handling of the border has been a complete failure. If Harris and Biden were real leaders, they would admit there’s a crisis and immediately get to work on solving it.
A secure nation and restoring law and order on the border is one of the promises House Republicans are making as part of our Commitment to America. We’ll fully fund effective border enforcement strategies, infrastructure including a Border Wall, and state-of-the-art technology to crack down on illegal crossings and trafficking by Cartels. We’ll end the Left’s radical catch-and-release policies, require individuals to provide proof of legal status to get a job, and eliminate welfare incentives for illegal immigrants. Most importantly, Republicans will provide the leadership that our nation so desperately needs to make it through these difficult times.
