Rescinding Title 42 of the Southern Border
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for coming down here and talking about the importance of farming in the United States. One of the things we are dealing with, obviously, and talked about, is some fertilizer shortages. I know that firsthand, seeing some of the farms in the district I represent, West Texas and so forth. And we have got a lot of issues we have got to address.
And I just want to note, as a Texan--we had my fellow Texan down here just a little bit ago--that here we sit again. Here it is, March 31, in an empty Chamber again. It is the close of a quarter, a fiscal quarter. Members got their places to go, their dinners to go to.
We just ran through a handful of votes today. No amendments. No debates.
Here is the people's House in all its glory. No debate. No discussion.
Did we have a single debate here in the people's House about what is happening at our southern border today? Any discussion at all?
Does the Speaker of the House of Representatives give a rat's rear- end about South Texas or the rest of this country; about the ranchers that are dealing with a flood of people coming across our border, endangering them and their families? No, they don't care. They don't care at all. But I can tell you, we in Texas care. And the leadership of this body better start caring soon.
And let me just say something to all my fellow Republicans who just funded this government two weeks ago. Those of you who cut a deal, a deal with the devil, you are responsible for this, too. You funded this government. You funded the government that is allowing people to come across our border, that is empowering cartels, that is allowing migrants to get abused, that is causing ranchers to lose their livestock, ranchers to be endangered, fentanyl to pour across our border.
And now this administration has the gall to shut down Title 42 while Americans are still wearing masks on airplanes, while we still have men and women in uniform being forced to get a needle stuck in their arm from the power of government. And the leadership, so-called leadership, of our government has the gall to shut down Title 42. The one thing allowing us to stop the flood at our border, even partially.
March of this year. This year. Right now. March, 200,000 apprehensions; 100,000 turned away under Title 42. But now the head of the CDC, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, is saying we are going to stop using Title 42.
Well, then what in the hell are you going to do? Nothing. Other than process more immigrants coming across our border who are not truly seeking asylum. But that is what is happening. And what is actually happening at our border right now is there are shootouts going on as we speak on a daily basis, between the Gulf Cartel--technically, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, but Gulf Cartel CDG warring with Cartel del Noreste of Los Zetas.
And we are talking about dead people, dead bodies. People getting shot in their car. Bullets firing, flying all over our southern border. Dead individuals.
This young girl here, head blown off. All of this is happening every single day. All while American kids are dying from Xanax laced with fentanyl.
And again, I want to be clear here. When you take Title 42 away--you, Secretary Mayorkas; you, CDC Director Walensky; you, my Democratic colleagues who are countering and funding it; you, President Biden-- when you take away Title 42, the blood is on your hands.
And we're talking about dead Americans, dead migrants, destroyed communities in Texas, empowered cartels. Literally last night in talking to people coming across the border, saying they are spending $3,000 to $5,000 to come up from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba. There were 13,000 apprehensions from Russia in the last 5 months.
We are about to see an unprecedented explosion on our southern border. Again, this administration not only doesn't care, it is purposeful. It is 100 percent purposeful. Endangering the people of the United States, endangering migrants while--in the false name of compassion saying it is good for them, empowering cartels, knowing they are doing it. Knowing for the most part you do not have a legitimate claim for asylum.
They are purposely not enforcing the laws of the United States. They are purposely not using the tools at their disposal, like now ending Title 42. For what reason? For crass political purposes. That is your modern Democratic Party. Using migrants for political purposes and endangering them and Americans in the process.
It is a gross violation of the oath taken to defend the Constitution of the United States. It is fully and entirely impeachable and every Republican should be agreeing to impeach Secretary Mayorkas on day one when we come into this body and we are in charge of the House of Representatives next January after the absolute feckless destruction of this country by an incompetent, destructive Democratic majority in this body, an incompetent destructive and flat out reckless administration refusing to enforce the laws of the United States. That is what is happening.
Oh, you going down there ranting on the floor again about the border? Well, excuse me, but it is Texas. And Texas needs to be starting to take a little action to tell the rest of this country to shove it up its rear end because Texas is taking it on the chin because the leadership of this country is forsaking Texas, hurting Texas, hurting my neighbors, hurting my community.
It is about time that it stops. It is about time that Republicans on this side of the aisle stop giving lip service to border security, choose to actually do their job and not fund the government that is refusing to enforce the laws.
I listened to Republican leadership down here on the floor a few weeks ago trying to tell me, oh--thank me for giving us more money for ICE and Border Patrol. Well, how the heck is that working out now? More money for more processing of more migrants getting abused by cartels. More money for more processing of more migrants to come into Uvalde, Texas, where the mayor just texted me 5 minutes ago. Tell them--in case you are wondering, that is you Democrats across the other side of the aisle, and by the way, Republican leadership--Tell them to come and see the--I will edit his remarks--crap show they have created 500 to 1,000 a day in Eagle Pass in Del Rio. No vetting.
These are human beings, Texans, people we represent, our communities. I promise my colleagues on the other side of the aisle they don't give a whit. They sit in their smug chairs in their committee hearings saying: Oh, this is all made up. There is nothing to it. It is all lies.
Just like the lie that President Biden said and his press secretary said when he accused Border Patrol agents of whipping people. They are flat out lies. Where are those Border Patrol agents now? Have they been returned to their job? Has a report come out? No.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good), my friend who accompanied me on a trip to the border about a month ago or so. He is a good friend and he understands what is actually happening at our border.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, before I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, I just want to pick up on something that the gentleman from Virginia said and see if he would agree. If Title 42 goes away, our country is completely open to anyone who wants to come. Would the gentleman agree?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Everyone who has been turn away, it has almost entirely been done under Title 42.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Now, for the listeners at home, Title 42 is a health code provision allowing our officials in government to turn people away if we have a communicable disease environment, like we do during the COVID pandemic. Now, we can do it for any number of communicable diseases, but we got that in place now.
Roughly half of the folks have been turned away under Title 42. Would the gentleman agree?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. So to that point, would it surprise the gentleman that under the administration we have turned away 1.7 million people under Title 42?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Yeah, including the time under the Trump administration. So 1.7 million times during the pandemic all the people that were turned back would likely have been let in and released into the United States under this administration. Some of those are repeats.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Something along the lines of a million people that would have been released into the United States last year. Does the gentleman agree?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Another point. Of the people that have come into the United States and are being encountered, these are all not just nice people looking for a job, are they?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. One hundred sixty different countries. Roughly, 10,763 criminal noncitizens and at least 3,662 have been arrested thus far in fiscal year 2022. The combined timeframes include roughly 85 convictions of manslaughter or homicide, 604 sexual offenses, and 2,892 convictions of illegal drug possession and trafficking. Based on reports at least 14 illegal migrants who are on the terrorist watch list were stopped at the southern border in fiscal year 2021.
The biggest problem is what?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. The got-aways. The more than half a million known got- aways--known--known got-aways--last year. So if we have got people we are catching on the terrorist watch list, if we have got criminals convicted of sex crimes, convicted of murder and manslaughter that we are catching--but that is all people the Border Patrol is running across and they are often turning themselves in. All of those known got-aways, do you think those are just the angels seeking a nice job?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. It would be.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. I would ask my friend from Pennsylvania if he is aware that our colleague and colleague in the House Freedom Caucus, our friend Yvette Herrell from New Mexico, introduced legislation a year ago-- actually over a year ago to require the use of Title 42. Is that right?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. They do not. And I want to make sure for every American out there to understand the truth. If you are disgusted about what is happening at our border, if you are concerned about what is actually happening to our communities, there is a way we can solve the problem without Speaker Pelosi making the decisions. Because that is how things work. We don't ever debate, we don't ever amend, and we don't actually have discussion in the people's House. The Speaker in a backroom decides what happens on the floor, vote ``yes'' or ``no,'' walk out, and give a press conference
But we can do something about that. There is a tool. It is called a discharge petition. We have a discharge petition at the desk to try to empower the actual Representatives of this country. We have 200 and I think now eight Republicans on that discharge petition.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. We have zero Democrats--not one Democrat--on that discharge petition. Now, I want everybody to think about that. The Democrats in this body apparently are so beholden to the radical idea of wide-open borders and not implementing Title 42 while Americans are being forced to wear masks on airplanes, and while Americans are getting a jab needle stuck in their arm by force of government if they are in the military or Border Patrol or any other Federal employee while there is still a Federal health emergency in place under order of the President.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. So while that is in place, we have a discharge petition where we can bring to the floor and vote to force enforcement of Title 42 in this country, and not one of our Democratic colleagues will join us in that.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. We have 13.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. It sure would. I think there are somewhere around 50 Democratic Members from border States if you count New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Texas.
So where are my Democratic colleagues in border States?
I think they ought to be asked. I want to know why won't my Democratic colleagues from border States or anywhere else in the country say they believe that we ought to enforce Title 42?
Because guess what? There are a few Senators who have said so.
Isn't that right?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. It is a way to wrestle control of the people's House away from a handful of self-anointed individuals who are wrecking this country in the name of so-called democracy.
Does my friend from Virginia agree?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Both my friends, the gentleman from Pennsylvania and the gentleman from Virginia, you guys are both fathers, correct?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Do you think that there is anything compassionate--when my colleagues on the other side of aisle like to talk about their compassion for migrants who are seeking to come to this country, do my friends think there is anything at all compassionate about a little girl getting raped in a stash house in Houston, Texas, as we speak?
Or being driven up and put into the sex trafficking trade up I-35 or across I-10 in the southern part of the United States?
Or trafficked to anywhere throughout the rest of this country?
Do you think that is compassion?
Do you think it is compassionate for a young woman to be getting shot up in a cartel warfare happening at south Texas, happening along the Rio Grande in northern Mexico?
Is that compassion?
Is it compassion?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. Is it compassionate for the young man or young woman of the 100,000 or so last year who died from drug overdoses to take Xanex and it be laced with fentanyl and die?
Is that something that is compassionate?
My friend from Virginia, do you think these are compassionate things to be doing?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. One of my good friends who was a former Texas Department of Public Safety expert on these issues dealing with cartels just sent me a text showing me video from last night at the border, and individuals they were recording were saying they were paying $3,000 or $5,000 to get across the river.
How is that compassionate?
They are going to have to make a monthly payment to cartels. A lot of those payments are going to come in the form of sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
I have about 1\1/2\ minutes remaining. I would just say--and I thank my friends for joining me down here on the House floor--that this is a solvable problem right now. This could be stopped right now. It could be stopped right now.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ROY. This hour. This moment.
But where is President Biden?
Where is Secretary Mayorkas?
Other than purposely ignoring the laws of the United States to endanger the American people and the migrants who seek to come here, where are they?
And why shouldn't we be impeaching Secretary Mayorkas for failing to faithfully execute the laws of the United States and causing death and destruction to Americans' property and to American people in the form of drug overdoses, in the form of the endangerment of our citizens and, again, the migrants who seek to come here?
I would ask that question of all my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: You can take this back and wrestle it away from the administration. Sign that discharge petition. Let's have a vote. Let's have a debate.
What are my colleagues afraid of?
The truth?
What are they afraid of?
The rule of law?
What are they afraid of?
A secure America?
Migrants who get to come here safely?
Put aside the politics and stand up for our country. That is our job as Members of the House of Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlemen from Virginia and Pennsylvania for their leadership.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source