Facing Our Nation’s Southern Border Crisis Head-On
What was once a localized crisis at the southern border now touches every corner of the United States. Every month, Customs and Border Protection reports record-breaking statistics outlining how bad our border disaster has become. Currently, the number of illegal immigrants who have crossed into our country is greater than the population of seventeen U.S. states, according to U.S. Census estimates. Between the humanitarian risks posed by migrant surges, human trafficking, and the threats to our communities posed by illegal drugs, there is no denying the need for serious reforms to border enforcement, immigration policy, and new leadership in facing this crisis head-on.
In December 2023 alone, there were over 302,034 illegal immigrants encountered at the southern border, which is a 300% increase from December 2020. The Biden Administration has also abused the mass parole system to release more than 1.5 million people into the United States, despite the Immigration and Nationality Act restricting this usage to a case-by-case basis and only in an emergency. While President Biden has the power to act on border enforcement today, his refusal to do so is only exacerbating the problem. His claim that he does not possess that power, as the head of the Executive Branch over the Department of Homeland Security and border patrol, is completely false and reflects his unwillingness to do right in the name of national security.
As Chairman of the Western Caucus, I am leading a group of lawmakers to the southern border this week so we can see firsthand the chaos that is unfolding and hear directly from Customs and Border Protection about potential solutions to the crisis. While the Biden Administration has made clear their willingness to ignore the crisis, I am committed to delivering common-sense, actionable solutions to secure our borders, support the pathway to legal immigration, and stop the flow of illicit fentanyl—for the good of communities across Central Washington and the nation.
As a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I helped pass H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023 out of the House to force the Biden Administration to resume construction of the border wall, end the abuse of executive immigration authority, and strengthen and streamline the asylum process to provide legal pathways to entry. America is a nation of immigrants, but if we do not secure the border and insist these legal pathways to citizenship, we are putting our citizens at risk.
In 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized over 27,000 pounds of illicit fentanyl at our borders—enough to kill millions of Americans. Here in Central Washington, we are facing a disturbing rise in fentanyl-related deaths, with the Tri-Cities reaching a record number of overdose deaths for the second year in a row. This is unacceptable. We must remain committed to stopping the flow of illicit fentanyl and protect our communities from this fatal drug, and that starts with tightening our grip on the border and expanding efforts like those identified by the Central Washington Fentanyl Taskforce.
It is also critical to not forget an aspect of immigration reform that is especially important to Central Washington: agriculture. As a key part of Central Washington’s economy, agricultural producers and family farms may suffer if we cannot provide a legal, reliable workforce. My Farm Workforce Modernization Act will help address this challenge by making meaningful reforms to the H-2A agricultural guestworker program and creating a first-of-its-kind, merit-based visa program specifically designed for our nation's agricultural sector. This would ensure a safe, legal, and affordable pathway for immigrants to enter the United States, and the robust vetting process would help prevent those who could be threats from entering.
We certainly are not in good hands when it comes to the Executive Branch’s position on the southern border. While President Biden’s entire foreign policy portfolio is riddled with mistakes and failures like Afghanistan, his inaction on this crisis can only be a result of bending to the extreme side of his party. His Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, has blatantly and willfully refused to enforce federal immigration laws, and has directed his agency to do the same. It is one thing to disagree with a policy, but ordering the Department of Homeland Security to not follow the law is inexcusable.
A nation without borders is a nation at risk. Fighting illegal immigration is crucial in ensuring every community does not become a border community, and Central Washington and our country cannot afford to let this crisis continue any longer. President Biden has shown he is not willing to step up and put American citizens first, so Congress must act before it is too late.