Marsha Blackburn Spearheads Bill to Crack Down on Human Trafficking at Southern Border
Source: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
A group of Republican Senators introduced legislation to mandate DNA testing at the Southern Border, as a deterrent to human trafficking. Spearheaded by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), the End Child Trafficking Now Act would require proof of family ties or legal guardianship from an adult in order to accompany a minor across the border. If compliance is not met, DHS would be compelled to deport the individual who refused a DNA test; if a relationship with a minor is found to be fabricated, illegal alien adults would receive a 10-year prison sentence.
Blackburn was joined by Republican Senators Joni Ernst (IA), Thom Tillis (NC), and Mike Rounds (SD). A companion bill was also introduced in the House of Representatives.
I introduced the End Child Trafficking Now Act with @MarshaBlackburn to do exactly that. Thank you to all of our cosponsors!@RepBrianBabin, @RepCloudTX, @RepMattGaetz, @RepGosar, @RepBethVanDuyne, @TXRandy14, @SenJoniErnst, @SenatorRounds, & @SenThomTillis.
— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) March 24, 2021
Blackburn said that the legislation will send a “powerful message” to human traffickers.
"After seeing the crisis firsthand, I’m reintroducing legislation to require DNA testing at the border to deter fraud and child trafficking. Adults attempting to slip across our borders under the guise of being a parent or relative to a minor must be DNA tested to prove they are related,” said Blackburn. “Drug cartels and gangs are using children to falsely present themselves as family units and seek asylum at our southern border. These unaccompanied minors are especially vulnerable to trafficking and are often forced to perform sex acts. Making DNA tests mandatory on anyone claiming a family relationship with a minor will send a powerful message that traffickers will be caught and aggressively prosecuted.”
Democrats in both chambers have offered minimal comment on the growing crisis at the border.
EXCLUSIVE: Biden Spending Millions per Day to Halt Border Wall Construction
The pause on construction of the border wall costs taxpayers about six million dollars per day while construction sites sit idle, Breitbart Texas learned from a senior Department of Homeland Security official. On Sunday, March 21, the 60-day pause in construction of the border wall is scheduled to end.
According to the source, the expenditures are required for materials orders placed before the pause and expenses for the cost of equipment sitting idle. When the issuance of a stop work order causes a contractor to idle equipment, they are entitled to be compensated for rental expenses or costs of ownership.
Shortly after taking office, President Biden signed an executive order temporarily halting any further progress on the border wall so individual contracts could be evaluated. With the exception of “make-safe” activities at the worksites, construction projects immediately came to a standstill, Breitbart Texas reported. The end of the 60-day pause does not, however, signal an automatic restart of construction.
Early in the pause, a spokesperson for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) informed Breitbart Texas that contractors would be informed of a final decision sometime after the 60-day pause concludes. The time was to be used for evaluating each contract to reach a decision to terminate-for-cause or continue.
The Biden administration has not indicated which direction they will take regarding the end of the pause. Little information concerning the immigration crisis on the border has come from the leadership team within DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Senior officials within DHS reported being instructed not to speak to national media on the issues facing DHS at the border. Information from other agencies within the new administration is equally elusive. USACE did not respond to a request for information concerning the end of the pause and the border wall contracts currently being evaluated.
As the deadline looms for a decision to be reached, equipment still sits idle. In Eagle Pass, Texas, a 51.9-million-dollar fence contract hangs in the balance. The equipment gathers dust and the contractor still awaits a decision. Other problems appearing along the border may be taking precedent over the status of the border wall contracts.
In recent days, the Secretary of DHS, Alejandro Mayorkas has said “We are on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years,”. In addition to the surge of migrants that are being apprehended along the border, a significant amount of illegal migrant traffic is also avoiding arrest. The administration was also not prepared for the onslaught of unaccompanied children crossing the border as policy changes were being made.
In addition to the daily expenses related to the pause of border wall construction, additional costs to taxpayers are likely on the horizon if the administration does decide to close out the contracts permanently.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBT
Blackburn: Cartels, Traffickers Exploiting Unfinished Border Wall Construction
'It's like an open portal for transnational criminal organizations to take advantage of'
Mexican cartels are exploiting the now-abandoned construction roads used to build the border wall under the Trump administration to traffic drugs and illegal migrants into the United States, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) said after touring the southern border in Arizona.
Blackburn accused President Joe Biden of emboldening "coyotes, drug cartels, and gangs" during a Tuesday call with reporters. Segments of the border that were previously difficult to navigate due to mountainous terrain, Blackburn said, are now equipped with abandoned access roads that were used during construction of the wall, which was halted by the Biden administration. Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, said that cartels and smuggling groups are "nimble enough to take advantage" of the stop in construction and use the roads to access "otherwise very harsh environments."
"The U.S. government put in roads and other infrastructure into these areas that can be otherwise very harsh environments. Now you can get vehicles in much more easily," Vaughan said. "It's like an open portal for transnational criminal organizations to take advantage of. No doubt, this is boom time for cartels and smuggling organizations."
Blackburn's office provided photos to the Washington Free Beacon that show construction roads leading up mountainous regions in which border fencing was not complete prior to Biden's January executive order halting construction. The Republican said that Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel—which dominates the territory south of Arizona's border—has stationed lookouts on top of mountains in the area to "surveil our Border Patrol and our law enforcement" and direct gang members.
"Many people don't realize the sophistication of these cartels. These are big, international businesses," Blackburn said Tuesday. "If we are not going to finish this wall and finish building out these roads so that our CBP can use them, then the cartel is just going to pick it up and use these roads for their advantage."
The White House did not return a request for comment.
Congressional Democrats have also expressed concern that Biden's immigration policies are encouraging Mexican cartels. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D., Texas) said Thursday that Biden's self-described "humane approach" to illegal immigration is being "twisted" by gangs working to traffic migrants into the country.
Shortly after Blackburn returned from Arizona, photos reviewed by the Washington Examiner showed overwhelmed U.S. law enforcement agents being pulled from the border to tend to unaccompanied minors in holding facilities. Vaughan said the ongoing border crisis gives cartels and traffickers a "golden opportunity" to operate "under the radar" with Border Patrol agents sidetracked to cater to humanitarian needs.
"The real worry is that more concerning actors are taking advantage of the chaos," Vaughan told the Free Beacon. "The cartels know more about what's going on in terms of border policy than most Americans do—they're much more nimble, typically, than our own law enforcement agencies."
A massive uptick in illegal immigration in 2016 led to similar circumstances. Then-Border Patrol chief Mark Morgan lamented the "tremendous amount of resources" required to respond to the surge in illegal migrant children at the time. He said agents were forced to "actually make sure the food, the burritos we're providing are being warmed properly," procure "baby powder and baby wipes," and perform other menial tasks.
Illegal border crossings have escalated under Biden, with more than 9,400 minors entering the United States in February, a record for the month. Nearly 16,000 minors are currently in U.S. custody, government officials confirmed Sunday. The overflow comes after Biden urged asylum seekers in 2019 to "immediately surge to the border" should he win the presidency.
Despite the ballooning numbers, the White House has so far declined to refer to the border influx as a "crisis." White House press secretary Jen Psaki instead referred to the ongoing ordeal as a "circumstance" during a Monday briefing.
GAO Launches Probe Into Biden's Freeze on Border Wall Funding
Source: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
As one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden stopped border wall construction and froze the billions Congress allocated for that purpose. Now, according to Politico, Biden is “under investigation” by the Government Accountability Office to “determine whether the new president broke the law by freezing the money in violation of budget rules designed to keep Congress in control of the cash flow.”
Biden under investigation for border wall cash freeze https://t.co/PRDDxXqTIS
— POLITICO Pro (@POLITICOPro) March 23, 2021
In a letter to the GAO last week, dozens of Republican senators said that “operational control of our southern border was compromised and a humanitarian and national security crisis has ensued,” since Biden halted construction and froze the border wall funds. The senators called the actions a “blatant violation of federal law and infringe on Congress’s constitutional power of the purse,” arguing they violate the Impoundment Control Act.
House Republicans also wrote to the GAO as “co-requesters” of the Senate GOP’s letter, asking for an investigation and the office’s legal opinion on the matter.
While Politico notes that an “unfavorable ruling … would bolster Republicans in branding Biden as a rule-breaker as they blame him for the surge of migrants and unaccompanied children at the southern border,” it’s unlikely the president faces “any formal punishment.”
Despite Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisting the border is “secure,” Border Patrol cannot keep up with the influx of migrants. More than 11,000 unaccompanied minors were detained in just the first few weeks of March, the Dallas Convention Center is about to be turned into temporary housing for illegal immigrant teenagers, there are reportedly “inhumane conditions” at overcrowded detention facilities, and the agency is releasing asylum seekers without even scheduling a court date. It’s no wonder a majority of voters now want the border wall finished.
Top Commander: Northern Triangle Migrants Not Facing Systemic Persecution at Home
The governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras do not engage in the kinds of systemic persecution of their citizens that would make them eligible for refugee or asylum status under United States laws, a top U.S. commander recently suggested.
During an underreported exchange at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) questioned Adm. Craig Faller, the U.S. Southern Command leader (SOUTHCOM), about the legal conditions on the ground in the Northern Triangle. This region is comprised of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Cotton asked the SOUTHCOM commander who oversees U.S. military activity in most of Latin America and the Caribbean:
Do the governments of those three [Northern Triangle] countries systematically persecute their own citizens on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, political views, religious belief, or other such categories?
Adm. Faller responded:
I’m in lockstep with our embassies, and we’ve got great diplomats, and we don’t see systematic exploitation. I work with the militaries, and the elements we work with are vetted and trusted, and I find they’re doing the right thing, whether it’s Honduras, Guatemala, or El Salvador.
Sen. Cotton noted that Northern Triangle citizens heading for the U.S. border are “economic migrants” who do not qualify for asylum or refugee status under American law because the governments of their home countries “do not persecute their own citizens systematically.”
Adm. Faller did not push back against Cotton’s characterization of the commander’s response.
To be eligible for asylum or refugee status, a migrant must face systemic persecution based on race, sex, ethnicity, religion, or political views in their home countries, the Arkansas Republican explained, adding:
An economic migrant is not eligible for asylum. They are not eligible for refugee status. Asylum is designed for people like, say a Hong Konger whose student visa expires and doesn’t want to return to Hong Kong now that the Chinese Communist Party has cracked down on that country.
The reason we have a crisis that our border is because President Biden and his administration opened the border and ended the policies of the Trump administration that made it clear you could not make the very dangerous journey across Mexico; you could not pay smugglers and traffickers thousands of dollars to get to our southern border and then expect to be let in. If you let them in, more will come. That is why we have a crisis at the border.
Cotton urged President Joe Biden to reimpose the Trump-era border policies that effectively stemmed illegal migration to the U.S.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has refused to recognize the surge of migrants at the southern border, particularly comprised of unaccompanied children from the Northern Triangle, as a crisis, calling it a “challenge” instead.
Biden border policies, including not expelling unaccompanied children who reach the border, have led to crowded, inhumane conditions in border patrol facilities.
While Republicans blame the Biden measures for the border crisis, noting that it is fueling child sex trafficking, among other problems, the Democrat president blames the previous administration.
Former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, who served under Trump, told National Public Radio (NPR) this week that the previous administration warned the Biden folks that dismantling the former president’s immigration policies would trigger problems at the southern border.
Echoing his Salvadoran counterpart on Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador indicated Tuesday that the Biden administration’s promise of better treatment for migrants is to blame for the border surge.
Border Patrol officials along the entire southwest border with Mexico report increasing numbers of previously deported child sex offenders illegally re-entering the U.S. The criminal aliens reportedly include child molesters and child rapists.
Exclusive – Sen. Bill Hagerty: Biden’s Open Borders Are ‘Killing Our Kids in Tennessee’ with Drugs Made with Chinese Fentanyl
President Joe Biden’s border and immigration policies are killing Americans by increasing drug trafficking into the U.S. from Mexico, said Sen. Bill Hagerty on Wednesday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily with host Alex Marlow, author of Breaking the News: Exposing the Establishment Media’s Hidden Deals and Secret Corruption.
Americans are dying of overdoses of illicit drugs laced with China-sourced fentanyl, Hagerty stated.
“China is pumping this fentanyl into Mexico … where it’s manufactured and used as a component of drugs that are that are coming in and killing our kids in Tennessee.”
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) told Breitbart News on Tuesday that 30,000 Americans each year are dying of overdoses from drugs smuggled across the southern border.
LISTEN:
Hagerty added, “Why did [the Biden administration] remove the Stay in Mexico policy — the Migrant Protection Protocol — that had a dramatic impact of keeping the people that were seeking asylum south of the border? The Mexican government was even protecting the border. Now, they went straight to catch and release.”
“They opened the door and it’s a floodgate, right now,” he continued, “It’s been an open invitation, and when you offer stimulus checks to illegal immigrants, what sort of incentive is that? It’s all the wrong incentives, and that’s why they’ve got a crisis of their own making on their hands, and it’s really threatening the safety and security of states like mine.”
Hagerty said “several sheriffs” had advised him of increases in drug smuggling and human trafficking during Biden’s presidency.
Hagerty contrasted the Biden administration’s treatment of American citizens with its approach to migrants seeking entry across the U.S.-Mexico border in terms of policies ostensibly implemented in response to Chinese coronavirus mitigation.
“We’ve been expected to lock down our communities,” he remarked. “We’ve been expected to shut our kids out of school, yet Biden just opened the border for these folks and let them move in. I presume the answer is that they aren’t testing them — or they certainly aren’t getting them all tested — and I’d like to know how many have tested positive.”
The Biden administration’s separate standards for citizens and non-citizens with respect to restrictions framed as coronavirus prevention policies are driving a political awakening among Americans, Hagerty determined.
“The American public is waking up to what Biden is bringing forth to us,” he claimed. “If we think about just the exposure to COVID that’s coming across the border and how different the treatment is for someone who’s not a citizen versus the treatment that our own citizens and our own schoolchildren are going through, I think this is going to create a groundswell that’s going to force the Biden administration into action.”
Last week, Hagerty requested information from the Biden administration regarding numbers of migrants released into the U.S. after encountered by Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The White House did not respond to his request for data.
Hagerty said, “I asked them very simple questions. I asked the Biden administration, since the president took office, how many of these migrants have been released in the United States by the Border Patrol, by ICE? I want to know how many of them are in Tennessee. I want to know how many of these children have spent more than 72 hours awaiting transfer to a Health and Human Services facility. They won’t answer that. What percentage of the migrants that have been apprehended at the border have actually been tested for COVID-19, and how many have been tested positive?”
Increasing Numbers of Deported Child Sex Offenders Appearing at U.S. Border
Border Patrol officials along the entire southwest border with Mexico report increasing numbers of previously deported child sex offenders illegally re-entering the U.S. The criminal aliens reportedly include child molesters and child rapists.
As the border crisis continues to grow, Border Patrol officials report they are seeing increasing numbers of criminal aliens attempting to re-enter the United States after being deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The reports come from nearly every sector along the southwest border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials revealed.
#USBP agents arrested 2 Honduran nationals who illegally entered the U.S. near Mission, TX. One of the men has a conviction for rape, and the other for sexual assault, both crimes against a child. RGV agents have arrested 91 sex offenders FYTD.
Read more: https://t.co/6JIftsdeKG pic.twitter.com/0VLNpuXoUI
— Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings (@USBPChiefRGV) March 24, 2021
Tuesday evening, McAllen Station agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector arrested a migrant who illegally crossed the border near Mission, Texas, CBP officials stated. During the processing, agents conducted a biometric background investigation that identified one of the men as Jonathan Rivera-Rosales, a Honduran national. The criminal background check uncovered a conviction from a court in Marathon County, Wisconsin, for 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child. The court convicted Rivera-Rosales and sentenced him to ten years probation. Officials did not disclose the age of the child.
RGV agents arrested 3 illegal aliens with serious criminal history. Their crimes included convictions for murder and sexual offenses. As agents deal with the increase of families and unaccompanied alien children, criminal aliens will attempt to conceal themselves among them. pic.twitter.com/AkjGzQ42MY
— Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings (@USBPChiefRGV) March 16, 2021
A few days earlier, McAllen Station agents apprehended a group of eight illegal aliens, again near Mission. In this group, the agents identified one of the migrants as Jose Moreno, another Honduran national. Records discovered by the agents show a court in Suffolk County, New York, convicted the Honduran migrant for “rape forcible compulsion” and “sexual conduct against a child,” officials stated. The court sentenced him to nine years in state prison.
Saturday, @DHSgov partners interdicted a pleasure craft off the coast of Point Loma. During processing of those onboard, #BorderPatrol agents discovered that one of the men was convicted of rape in Oregon. Read about it: https://t.co/UDaiYrVVFq pic.twitter.com/Wsghqe6okR
— CBP San Diego (@CBPSanDiego) March 23, 2021
At the other end of the southwest border, San Diego Sector agents coordinated with U.S. Coast Guard officials to interdict an offshore human smuggling attempt. During the processing of 14 adult males, four adult women, and a 15-year-old child — all Mexican nationals — the agents identified one of the men as a previously deported criminal alien. A court in Oregon convicted the 39-year-old man of rape in 2006 and sentenced him to 75 months in state prison.
Two of the other Mexican nationals in the group had previously been deported as well.
El Centro Sector officials also report they arrested 12 migrants with sexual offense convictions or charges.
#ALERTEl Centro Sector agents arrested yet another sex offender! The illegal alien & aggravated #felon has been convicted on drug charges & child molestation. Proud of the great work our agents are doing to keep child predators out of our communities.
✅https://t.co/Rzcf3NU07L pic.twitter.com/hJRsl9dEN2
— USBP Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino (@USBPChiefELC) March 15, 2021
Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Hastings said his agents arrested 91 sex offenders so far this fiscal year which began on October 1, 2020.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Face
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