Border Security and Immigration

Our tradition of welcoming legal immigrants from around the globe is what has enabled us to become the economic and cultural superpower we are today. I am a firm believer in the "American Dream" of progress and security; however, we must be responsible about our current immigration practices, or this dream will become unattainable.

At no point in our nation's history has the situation on the southern border reached the levels of policy failure, humanitarian disaster, and national security threat that it did under the Biden Administration. Upon taking back the House Majority in 2023, House Republicans immediately took action by passing H.R. 2, which would require the Department of Homeland Security to resume border wall construction activities, mandate all employers to use E-Verify to reduce illegal immigration incentives, hire a wave of new border agents, and re-establish the Trump-Pence Administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy that prevents asylum seekers from serving parole in the United States. 

These "Remain in Mexico" protocols negotiated with the Mexican government in 2019 were one of the Trump-Pence Administration's best accomplishments. These polices prevented any asylum seeker from serving parole in the United States while waiting for a hearing on the status of their claim and instead required them to wait in Mexico. President Biden's destruction of these protocols led to countless thousands of migrants making asylum claims as a back door to enter the United States with no way to track their whereabouts. Enshrining this policy into Congressional law would be an effective and compassionate policy that would deter cartels from dangerous and illegal activities at the border.

Additionally, President Biden's abuse of humanitarian parole authority to allow hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants to enter the U.S. on flimsy claims is one of the biggest causes of the crisis we see at the southern border today.

In 2023 alone, the Administration's "CPB One" app enabled 320,000 inadmissible aliens in 2023 alone to fly directly from a city of origin into Southwestern port of entry cities in the United States. And from January to September of 2023, nearly 96% of these illegal aliens who scheduled parole appointments were simply given a "Notice to Appear" and released into the United States with no oversight. This does not even count toward the 2.8 million illegal ground crossings of the border during the same period. Clearly, we must change the status quo. 

I also want to be clear that I believe that means a wall where it makes sense and the implementation of high-tech virtual walls where physical construction isn't possible or plausible. Requiring background checks and adequate documentation should also be part of any immigration policy. While I am not a member of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over these issues, I regularly engage in conversations with my peers about how we can improve our immigration system and benefit both our economy and those seeking to come here honestly.