Ongoing Crisis At Our Southern Border

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BICE of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the ongoing crisis at the southern border. The Biden administration has actively opened the border, and it is directly harming our country by dwindling resources, endangering communities, and emboldening terror threats.

I recently visited the Del Rio, Texas, sector to hear straight from our Customs and Border Patrol agents, Texas National Guard, and Texas State troopers. In just one station within the sector, apprehensions have multiplied at an alarming rate, going from 7,400 last year to more than 94,000 in 2021, and agents have detained people from more than 90 countries.

While the humanitarian aspect of this crisis is disturbing, I am more concerned with the growing national security threats to our country. Nearly 10,000 individuals with criminal convictions have been arrested in fiscal year 2021 attempting to illegally cross into the U.S., compared to just 2,400 last year.

Mr. Speaker, securing and regulating our border is crucial in keeping our country secure, functioning, and, most importantly, safe from external threats. I urge my colleagues to work toward creating meaningful legislation to provide Customs and Border Patrol agents with much-needed resources to firmly protect our border.

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