Bad policies have dire consequences. And Democrats’ one-party rule of Washington has sent our nation, and thereby all Americans, through crisis after crisis. From the violent crime crisis plaguing America’s cities, to the Afghanistan crisis creating a terrorist safe haven, to the border crisis threatening our national security and the rule of law, Democrats’ policies are hurting Americans.
As a former federal organized crime prosecutor in El Paso, Texas, I have witnessed the many seasons of the Southwest border. However, what is happening now is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The Biden Administration has abandoned any attempt to secure the Southwest border by ending effective border security policies like the Migrant Protection Protocols, Title 42 public health authority, and construction of the border wall system. Most recently, in a damning admission, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz admitted that the border crisis is a direct result of Biden’s ‘no consequences’ policy for migrants who break the law, illegally crossing the border.
Since President Biden has been in office, there have been more than 3.4 million migrant encounters at the Southwest border in addition to nearly one million known “gotaways” — those who successfully evaded U.S. Border Patrol agents. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has lost operational control of the border as a record number of illegal aliens, criminals, and gang members are being apprehended and unprecedented amounts of drugs are flowing across the border into American communities. For the first time in our nation’s history, there were a record-breaking 108,000 drug overdose deaths last year, stemming from increases in synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Since President Biden has been in office, there have been more than 3.4 million migrant encounters at the Southwest border in addition to nearly one million known “gotaways” — those who successfully evaded U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Equally disturbing, an unprecedented number of individuals on the terror watchlist have been encountered trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry this fiscal year. As the number of known gotaways continues to increase at a record rate along the Southwest border, we cannot be certain exactly how many known or suspected terrorists have entered the U.S. This is particularly concerning as President Biden’s botched foreign policy agenda in Afghanistan returned the country to a pre-9/11 footing and created a safe haven for terrorists.
As leader of the American Security Task Force, I was tasked with building consensus in the Republican Conference around actionable and constructive solutions to ensure the security of our nation and the safety of all Americans. As part of this effort, we developed a legislative framework to address the worsening crisis at the Southwest border, that will be prioritized in a Republican-led House of Representatives and allow us to place a critical check on this Administration’s security failures.
House Republicans will keep our commitment to American security by building physical barriers along the Southwest border, investing in new and cutting-edge technology to support border security, hiring and training new front-line Border Patrol agents, and mitigating the free flow of fentanyl plaguing communities.
House Republicans will keep our commitment to American security by building physical barriers along the Southwest border, investing in new and cutting-edge technology to support border security, hiring and training new front-line Border Patrol agents, and mitigating the free flow of fentanyl plaguing communities across the country. Additionally, we will work to force the Biden administration to reinstate the effective Migrant Protection Protocols, expand the use of Title 42 expedited removal authority to include all public health emergencies, and fix bad asylum policies that are pull factors and sources of enrichment for drug cartels while protecting those with legitimate claims.
The bottom line is that Americans are not safe under President Biden and Democrats’ one-party rule. I am proud of the work this task force has done to deliver a commonsense framework of solutions for the American people. I strongly believe that in November, Americans will see the value in our security agenda and give us the green light to get right to work.
John Katko represents the 24th District of New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves as the Republican leader of the Committee on Homeland Security, and is Chairman of the House GOP Task Force on American Security.