Border Security

Floor Speech

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Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I would like to say that I am very concerned, to my friend and the gentlewoman from Arizona, to put it mildly. I am troubled that our Nation and our Nation's leaders here in this great body of the United States House of Representatives would not put politics aside and put our country and our citizens' safety first. It is the number one job. It is the most important job, to provide for a common defense and to ensure the safety of the United States citizens. We can never be distracted from that, and we can never allow partisan politics from fulfilling that first responsibility and duty.

I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and for bringing this discussion to the floor so that we can speak directly to the American people about our strong support for our Commander in Chief who is simply asking for the tools and resources to do that which he ran for the Presidency on, was elected to do, and is now doing everything with unwavering commitment to follow through on that promise to secure the border. Border walls and barriers are a fundamental component of security.

As a Texan, I can tell you being on the front-lines--and the gentlewoman knows this as well being on the front-lines as well from the great State of Arizona--that this is costing our States billions of dollars, $12 billion in the great State of Texas. We see the drugs that are flowing in, the gangs, the crimes, and the criminal activities.

Here is a statistic: since 2011, 186,000 illegal immigrants were charged with more than 290,000 criminal offenses costing $1 billion, tearing apart families and devastating communities. And this President is asking for the resources necessary to secure our border.

Madam Speaker, I say to Mrs. Hartzler, I find it ironic that Democrats have spoken in favor and have even supported physical barriers. I find it hypocritical that Speaker Pelosi has talked about walls being immoral when she has spent probably half of her life being protected by those very walls. I find it disingenuous that Democrats have said that they actually want to do something to secure the border; they just don't want to have anything to do with walls or fencing.

Madam Speaker, I have got a list--and I don't have enough time--but last Congress, which was my first term in Congress, we put several bills to do just that, to secure the border and stop illegal immigration, from Kate's Law to No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, and Securing America's Future.

For the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, 188 Democrats voted no; Kate's Law, 166 Democrats voted against it; Securing America's Future Act to give DACA recipients peace of mind, 190 Democrats voted against it.

Then they were crying out saying that we have to abolish ICE, abolish the people who risk their lives to keep us safe. Then we put a very simple resolution: we support you, we love you, we are behind you, we know what a tough job you have; and 133 Democrats voted present, and 34 voted against that resolution. I wonder how that makes the folks in uniform who defend this country and protect our communities feel.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mrs. Hartzler for her generosity in allowing me to speak in her time and during this Special Order. I would just call on my Democrat colleagues and the Democrat leaders to be leaders, not politicians, and put this country first and work in good faith with this President who has been willing to negotiate every step of the way to secure this border and protect our people.

God bless America.

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