Relating to the Consideration of H. Res. Impeaching Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, for High Crimes and Misdemeanors

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 529 and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 529

Resolved, That House Resolution 503 is hereby re-referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary.

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Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave
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Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, last night, the Rules Committee reported a rule to refer H. Res. 503 to the Committees on Homeland Security and the Judiciary. H. Res. 503 lays out articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden for his failure to secure the southern border of the United States.

We do a lot of things in this body, and we say a lot of things--I certainly do--about our beliefs and about what we think is happening to our country. What we are talking about here is, indeed, solemn. We are, in fact, talking about the mechanism provided by the Founders in the Constitution of the United States to check and hold the executive branch responsible.

The border crisis that we are experiencing today is extremely significant for the people in my home State of Texas. It is significant not just for Texas, of course, but for the entire country--but, in particular, for the people in my home State of Texas.

Since President Biden took office, there have been well over 5 million illegal migrant encounters along the southwest border. More than 204,000 illegal immigrants were encountered at the border in May alone. Those numbers are changing post-relaxing enforcement of title 42.

Mr. Speaker, 2 million aliens have been released into the interior of the United States, and 1.5 million, probably 1.7 million, maybe 2 million now, got-aways have successfully evaded border agents, by relatively conservative accounting.

Most concerning right now is the data we have shows that 125 individuals from the terrorist watch list have been encountered this fiscal year alone, and that compares to about 98 in all of last fiscal year and about 10 in the last year of the Trump administration.

The fact is, the people I represent are sick and tired of a Federal Government that is abdicating its fundamental duty to defend the border of the United States. That is what is happening.

The Federal Government exists primarily, borderline entirely, but certainly primarily, to defend the United States. That is why it exists. It is failing to do so not through maladministration, not through incompetence, but through dereliction of duty and a refusal to actually follow the laws of the United States.

The laws of the United States are there, expressly and specifically laid out, to ensure that our border will be protected, that our Nation will be secure. That is the fundamental question before us. When the executive branch fails to follow the law, when the executive branch fails to adhere to its duty to defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States, then what is it that the Congress, the people's House, is supposed to do in response?

The Founders gave us a mechanism. Here today, we are talking about putting forward and referring these articles to the Homeland Security Committee for determination of the extent to which the homeland is, in fact, not secure as a direct consequence of the refusal of the administration, well beyond maladministration but very specifically the refusal to follow the laws of the United States that is resulting in the direct consequence of the death and damage to the American people.

That is the truth. That is what we are experiencing. That is what we are experiencing in real time in Texas. My colleagues in Arizona, my colleagues throughout this entire country, are experiencing that in real time.

Just a few weeks ago, a Federal judge in the Northern District of Texas, Judge Reed O'Connor, issued an opinion, an order, and in it, he lays out: ``Defendants, illegal aliens, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens. The sentencing information shows that on behalf of the Juarez cartel, defendants participated in an alien smuggling conspiracy. . . . The smuggling organization charged $10,000 to smuggle an adult illegal alien into the United States and between $12,000 to $14,000 to smuggle a child illegal alien.''

It goes on to lay out how they discovered that there was an illegal alien in Baltimore who was being held for ransom so that his family wouldn't be abused by the Juarez cartel in a stash house in Fort Worth.

The members told the husband that they would do things to his daughter he would not like if he did not make this payment of $23,000, which he had not bargained for.

This is the state of affairs in our country. This is the consequence to those migrants who are seeking to come here, when my colleagues in the false name of compassion state that open borders are somehow good for them. This is causing crime to extend into our communities. This is causing us to experience the dangerous hand of cartels.

Just this morning, we had more news about cartels and their reach into Texas, into the United States. It is an everyday occurrence: bailouts, damage to ranches, harm to Texans, death to Texans, fentanyl. How many more fentanyl moms, how many more angel moms, how many more Americans need suffer because this President refuses to follow the laws of the United States that he raised his hand and swore an oath to defend?

That is why we are here, and that is why I support the resolution.

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Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I just note that this morning Texas DPS troopers arrested a Gulf cartel operative in the Rio Grande Valley smuggling people across the river. After having been paid thousands of dollars, they were moving five illegal immigrants into the United States.

This is somebody that had been affiliated with a dangerous cartel. It is happening every day in the State of Texas because this administration refuses to do its job.

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Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I am moved by the references to solemnity after the chanting on the floor of the House yesterday for 5 minutes disrupting the Speaker of the House from carrying out his duties. I find it extremely moving.

I am also moved by the references to how we have not passed legislation, despite the fact that we passed H.R. 2, the most impactful border security legislation that has been moved off the floor of the House, without a single Democrat vote because they are ignoring what the administration is doing to the State of Texas, to migrants, and to the security of our country.

I am moved by the concerns for climate change which I am sure will assuage the angel moms and the fentanyl moms who have lost loved ones and the 72,000 Americans dead from fentanyl because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and the President of the United States refuse to secure the border.

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