House GOP Bill Targets Border Crisis
Border agents not equipped to handle drug, weapons surge, Republicans say
House Republicans say their new immigration bill will reverse the historic surge of migrants by increasing the number of Customs and Border Protection agents, improving technology for rooting out illegal aliens, and resuming construction of a southern border wall.
Homeland Security Committee ranking member Rep. John Katko (R., N.Y.), Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.), and conference chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) proposed the legislation on Thursday, arguing that the 1.1 million illegal crossings so far this year constitute a security threat. Citing an increase in fentanyl seizures by border patrol agents—enough to kill millions of people—the House Republicans say law enforcement isn't equipped to handle the challenge.
Katko said the administration’s "weak leadership" is squarely to blame for the border crisis, but his bill offers an effective alternative that will address the thousands of migrants flocking to the border each week.
"When the southwest border is lawless, it’s the fabric of all our communities that suffers. And that is unacceptable," Katko said. "From finishing the border wall system to modernizing technology and bolstering border staffing, this legislation tackles key shortcomings and weaknesses we’ve seen for ourselves that are fueling the border crisis. I am proud to stand with so many of my Republican colleagues to put forth a strong, common sense alternative to President Biden’s failing and destructive border security policies."
Republicans like McCarthy have repeatedly called for the Biden administration to restore pandemic safety measures like Title 42, which gives border patrol agents broad authority to turn back most migrants. Biden's overturning of the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" program, law enforcement officials say, has also contributed to a 362 percent increase in illegal immigration at the southern border when compared to last year.
The bill looks beyond traditional border infrastructure to curb the flow of migrants from Central and South America by directing $10 million toward commercial technologies to assist border security and monitoring. Katko also calls for the creation of a border security innovation lab, where officials can test ideas and concepts to make the apprehension of migrants more efficient.
Stefanik, who supports the bill, said the White House’s policies put the American people at risk.
"Biden’s open border policies have been a complete disaster, causing the worst border crisis we’ve seen in over 20 years," Stefanik told the Washington Free Beacon. "As the number of encounters continues to rise, drugs and weapons are flooding across our southern border, and Democrats have turned their backs on our border patrol agents and law enforcement. I am proud to support this legislation that reinstitutes President Trump's successful border policies and invests in infrastructure, technology, and support for our federal law enforcement officers. We know these policies work, and Biden’s negligence is dangerous to our national security."
Katko’s plan comes as the Biden administration seeks a new approach to the immigration crisis. A State Department plan released Thursday aims to address the "root causes" of increased migration, such as a lack of economic opportunities in countries like Guatemala, by collaborating with Central American governments. Vice President Kamala Harris, whom the White House has tasked with handling the crisis, has been the subject of bipartisan Criticism due to her management of border security and illegal immigration.
Biden Admin to Border Agents: Prepare for the Flood
Docs say 1,200 migrant families expected to be processed each day
The Biden administration is telling immigration agents to prepare to process hundreds of thousands of migrant families and asylum claims as the White House moves to reverse Trump-era border and coronavirus policies, according to internal documents obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
A senior federal official who spoke with the Free Beacon expects Biden to end Title 42—a law used by former president Trump's Centers for Disease Control to block migrants from entering the country—sometime this month. As part of the preparation for that policy reversal, senior Department of Homeland Security officials warned staff that they will have to process up to 1,200 family units a day. That number of family units works out to 312,000 a year, assuming the border does not see any future surges. Following their release from custody, those migrants are in effect free to stay, said one DHS official, because many immigrants skip their immigration court hearings sometimes scheduled two years after they are initially detained.
"Border Patrol agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and customs officers are stretched thin trying to protect and secure our border," said the official. "Asking them to process roughly 6,000 people a week undoubtedly strain already thin resources and increase human trafficking and drug smuggling."
The internal directive further damaged morale within national security agencies where staff already feel overwhelmed with initiatives ordered by the Biden administration. These policies all seem focused on the singular purpose of letting in as many migrants as possible and forcing staff attention away from security threats entering the country.
Those who spoke with the Free Beacon described an agency undergoing a dramatic transformation under Biden and Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Some now question their mission as they prepare for humanitarian crises on the border after the end of Title 42 and Trump's "Remain in Mexico Policy."
"All of these people will become permanent residents. There's no political will from the Biden administration to deport families once they're already admitted. The White House knows that," a DHS official said. "The end of Title 42 will result in de facto open borders."
Agents on the southern border noted that the president and the CDC are warning about the COVID-19 Delta variant while the federal government ends critical policies that allowed law enforcement to ensure migrants who carry disease are not allowed entry into the country. At the same time, Mayorkas has taken a harsher attitude toward Cubans and Haitians wishing to escape chaos and violence in their home countries.
"The time is never right to attempt migration by sea," Mayorkas said Tuesday. "To those who risk their lives doing so, this risk is not worth taking. Allow me to be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States."
One individual familiar with internal agency discussions said the Biden administration's dismissive approach to Cuban and Haitian migrants is shaped in part by the agency's limited resources. The job of processing thousands of migrants per week on the southern border will require an all-hands effort from immigration officials that leaves little flexibility to address a potential surge from those trying to escape the dueling Caribbean crises.
"The heavy lifting we've been doing since January portends that this is unlike anything we've ever seen, especially because we're utilizing Border Patrol and discussing bringing in ICE to help. The lift across all of DHS is pretty unprecedented," an individual familiar with the plan said.
Neither the Biden administration nor Department of Homeland Security returned requests for comment.
Biden Forbids Immigration Judges From Using the Term ‘Alien’
Federal immigration judges may no longer use the word "alien" in their legal opinions, according to a Department of Justice directive.
Citing an immigration order from President Joe Biden, senior DOJ official Jean King instructed the nation's 539 immigration judges to "use language that is consistent with our character as a nation of opportunity and of welcome." The July 23 memo forbids employees in the Executive Office for Immigration Review from using "‘alien' or ‘illegal alien' to describe migrants."
King suggests judges use "respondent, applicant, petitioner, beneficiary, migrant, noncitizen, or non-U.S. citizen," as a replacement when writing opinions. Instead of "undocumented alien" or "illegal alien," judges should use "undocumented noncitizen, undocumented non-U.S. citizen, or undocumented individual," the document says.
The Immigration and Nationality Act describes an "alien" as "any person not a citizen or national of the United States." A variety of federal laws and regulations use the term "alien" to describe individuals who can be removed from the United States, in contrast to mere nationals, who may be American citizens or residents of territories such as American Samoa.
The Biden administration grounded the policy change in part on journalism standards, rather than federal law. King cited the Associated Press's 2013 decision to eliminate the use of "illegal immigrant" in its reporting to justify the change. The department memo grants the immigration judges an exemption if they are "quoting a statute, regulation, legal opinion, court order, or settlement agreement" but advises them to shy away from other mentions.
Biden has already taken steps to eliminate "alien" and "illegal immigrant" from the lexicon of federal officials through a series of executive orders and policy changes. The White House is looking to go even further through legislation. Biden has asked Congress to pass legislation that would replace such terminology in existing federal statutes. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D., Texas) proposed a similar law in 2015 that would replace the term "illegal alien" in federal law with "undocumented foreign national." Liberal lawmakers have already taken such steps at the local level. Individuals in New York City can face criminal prosecution if they use the terms "illegals" or "illegal alien" to "demean, humiliate, or harass a person."
The policy shift comes as both the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security struggle to process a record number of migrants crossing the southern border. A study from Syracuse University found that deportation orders from immigration judges have plummeted despite the massive uptick in illegal border crossings.
5 Migrants Arrested 70 Miles from Texas Border After Home Burglary
Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents arrested five migrants near Uvalde, Texas, who wore camouflage gear and attempted to avoid apprehension. Officials said they found property stolen during the burglary of a local ranch house.
Uvalde Station Border Patrol agents encountered a group of five migrants wearing camouflaged clothing near Uvalde. The ranch is located about 70 miles from the Texas-Mexico border.
Uvalde Station agents encountered five undocumented migrants wearing camo, attempting to evade arrest. They possessed clothing, binoculars, and knives they had stolen from a nearby ranch house. All subjects were taken into custody by local law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/w7h9xOStVg
— Chief Patrol Agent Del Rio Texas (@USBPChiefDRT) August 2, 2021
Del Rio Sector officials reported the agents found the migrants carrying clothing, binoculars, and knives from a nearby ranch house they allegedly burgled. Local police responded to a call from the agents and arrested the five migrants under state laws.
In July, Breitbart Texas reported that a group of migrants broke into a house near Sierra Blanca in the Big Bend Sector. Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Sean McGoffin tweeted photos of three migrants who allegedly broke into the rancher’s home. He said the agents found the migrants in possession of two loaded handguns, ammunition, food, and clothing that were allegedly stolen from the house.
Governor Greg Abbott pledged to arrest migrants who violate Texas laws and put them in jail.
“If you come to Texas, you’re subject to being arrested,” Abbott said in a message to migrants thinking of coming to Texas. “You’re not going to have a pathway to roam the country. You’re going to have a pathway directly into a jail cell.”
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 Facebook.
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