Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. BIGGS. Madam Speaker, while the Biden inhumane border crisis rages on the southern border, we are here today, once again, debating amnesty for illegal aliens.

Promising amnesty to those who are already here illegally encourages more aliens to come illegally. All data for the last 35 years shows that there is this correlative relationship.

Instead of voting on amnesty, we should be voting on real reforms to close loopholes and remove incentives for aliens to come here illegally. That is why I reintroduced the Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act earlier this year and introduced the Stopping Border Surges Act earlier this week. These bills include real reforms that will have real impacts.

The Stopping Border Surges Act fixes problems caused by the Flores settlement agreement that prevents DHS from detaining family units for more than 20 days, ensures that unaccompanied alien children are quickly and safely returned home, and promotes increased integrity in the asylum system.

This bill, however, will actually cause more problems than it will solve. It has serious flaws that will lead to fraud and abuse.

This bill gives the Secretary broad authority to waive grounds of inadmissibility for humanitarian purposes, family unity, or because the waiver is otherwise in the public interest. What that means is that convicted criminals will have an opportunity to gain amnesty.

This bill invites fraudulent applications because under this bill, Madam Speaker, if you apply for amnesty, your receipt serves as your authorization to work. All you have to do is apply for the amnesty and you will be able to work legally. There is no way that this will not lead to fraudulent filings.

This bill establishes grant programs that use taxpayer dollars to help illegal aliens apply for amnesty. Instead of spending taxpayer dollars to facilitate amnesty, we should focus on reducing the deficit. This bill does nothing to secure the border or close loopholes in our immigration laws that encourage illegal immigration.

Now, I address something that was said in the last debate. One of the Representatives said that no Republican has taken her up on going to the border. That is not accurate. When she announced that in the Judiciary Committee, I said that I will go with you, that I want to go with you.

We agreed I would go. Our staffs arranged it. My flight reservations were made, and within about 3 days before going, I was told that there is no more room for you on this trip.

So, it wasn't accurate to say that no Republican has taken her up on it. I took her up on it.

I will tell you this, Madam Speaker, when the Speaker says the reason to support the previous bill is that 75 percent of Americans support amnesty, well, if you are going to rely on polling data, I would inform you that a recent poll said that 75 percent of Americans support the use of voter ID. Let's go ahead and fix that then if we are going to rely on voting information to pass good policy.

Let's reinstitute voter ID, and let's vote ``no'' on this bill.

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