Issues of the Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, I thank the vice chairman for yielding time in this Special Order tonight.

Madam Speaker, June was the fourth consecutive month, as we have already heard, with more than 200,000 migrant encounters along our southern border. The total number of illegal immigrant apprehensions since this President took office now sits at more than 3.1 million. That is on top of more than 800,000 known got-aways.

It is costing lives. More than 100,000 Americans--many of them young Americans--died last year of drug overdoses. Those deaths were fueled by fentanyl that illegally came across our border.

Since last October, Border Patrol has seized more than 8,400 pounds of fentanyl. These are not just statistics. They are people, our fellow Americans. Their families are forever shattered. Yet, this administration continues to fight to end policies like title 42 and remain in Mexico, sending a clear message that our borders are open.

This administration is putting our economic security at risk, our national security at risk, and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis. A large and growing number of children with limited resources are being exploited by the cartels to dangerously run the streets or forced into prostitution.

Additionally, over 1,000 people have died along our border since President Biden took office--many while trying to enter our country illegally--attracted by the policies of this administration. Instead of taking bold action to combat this problem, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas continues to claim our border is secure.

Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Marc Couch sees the humanitarian crisis every day along the Rio Grande Valley. He recently told Fox News that to say the border is secure is: ``a misnomer of a statement that has no truth in it.''

I agree. But I would like to put it a different way. Secretary Mayorkas' claim is grossly misleading. In fact, it is just flat wrong, so much so that it is difficult to understand how he could in good faith believe what he is saying to the American people.

Madam Speaker, I usually end these speeches by urging the President to do better with regard to our border, but the reality is we know this administration has little or no appetite for securing our border and instead prefers to appeal to its far-left base.

It falls on Congress to hold the executive branch accountable when it fails to uphold our laws. So, I will close today by urging congressional Democrats to do their job, and as the House majority at least until January, join Republicans to hold this administration accountable.

Let's take a break from voting on messaging bills that have no chance of passing in the Senate. Let's find ways to come together and finally secure our border. This should be a top priority for both parties because open borders make every State a border State and put America at risk.

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