Dear Friends,
First, I want to condemn the senseless violence that occurred in Boulder, Colorado last night. As law enforcement continues to uncover details about what happened, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, including Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, who tragically lost his life while responding to the scene.
Here’s another update regarding the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border:
As the crisis at our southern border escalates, the Biden Administration refuses to accept responsibility for the growing surge in illegal immigration, which is a direct result of their open-border policies and lax enforcement of our immigration laws.
Immediately after he was sworn into office, President Biden reversed many of the Trump Administration’s immigration policies that had dramatically improved border security. Even before he became President, Joe Biden signaled that he wouldn’t enforce immigration laws. He halted border wall construction, reimplemented Obama-era “catch and release” policies, canceled the asylum agreements with Central American countries that President Trump’s team negotiated, and is allowing migrants with COVID-19 to enter the United States.
Our southern border is being overrun and detention facilities are overwhelmed. It’s a man-made humanitarian crisis too — all of which was avoidable. I understand that most Democrats in Congress and those serving in the Biden Administration hate President Trump, but that doesn’t mean that his policies were bad and should be reversed. If he was successful at anything, it was border security. Now, because of the reversal of Trump’s policies, one U.S. Border Patrol agent has described the situation as total mayhem.
Currently, more than 13,000 unaccompanied minors are in U.S. custody. According to CBS, more than 4,200 were stuck in Border Patrol facilities unfit to house them, including 3,000 who were held beyond the legal limit of 72 hours. Additionally, 9,400 unaccompanied minors entered Border Patrol custody last month, the highest total for any February in history. Just this past week, Customs and Border Protection confirmed to Congress that four people arrested at the southern border since October match names on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Database.
Meanwhile, despite a historic number of migrants illegally entering the United States, House Democrats passed legislation that will exacerbate the border crisis by providing amnesty to millions of individuals currently living in the United States illegally. H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act, which passed the House this past week, fails to include enforcement provisions to manage the security and humanitarian crisis at our southern border. It only serves to incentivize migrants to unlawfully enter our country. Here is what the bill does, among other things:
- Grants green cards and special amnesty on a mandatory basis to an illegal immigrant population that far exceeds the eligibility requirements established under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
- Provides green card status to any individual granted or eligible to receive Temporary Protected Status (TPS), regardless of whether they received TPS, entered illegally, or are no longer in the country.
- Loopholes in the bill would also allow individuals convicted of dangerous crimes, including MS13 and other gang members, to receive a green card.
- Waives the physical presence requirement for individuals deported during the Trump Administration allowing them to apply for green cards.
Securing our border should not be a partisan issue. Conditions are deteriorating and this crisis can no longer be ignored by the current administration. It’s past time for President Biden to admit there is a crisis and to work with Republicans to re-implement President Trump’s border policies putting the safety of our country and citizens first.
