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Floor Speech

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, President Biden, today, by executive order can end catch and release, cease the exploitation of the parole authority, reinstate remain in Mexico, expand expedited removal authority, and renew building the wall.

By executive order, Mr. Speaker, he can do that, which will stop the illegal immigration by 80 percent, just those executive orders. He can do that today.

Mr. Speaker, I am horrified and I am dismayed. We have been shouting from the rooftops that the border is a crisis for years. And finally, finally, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are beginning to acknowledge there is a problem just in time for an election.

How shocking?

Just like when they switched from ``defund the police'' to pro-police rhetoric in 2022 just before the election. They have this playbook down pat.

Since the President has taken office, Mr. Speaker, there have been over 7 million illegal crossings at our southern border. Over 8.3 million illegal crossings nationwide. Yes, that is right. Our southern border is in such disarray and has sucked up so much of our resources that our northern border is wide open, and the cartels are taking advantage, including in the State of New York where my esteemed colleague, who is claiming time in opposition on the other side of the aisle, is from.

His State is in desperate need of help from illegals taking over their cities, overrunning their public safety, overrunning their schools, overrunning their social services, and he stands up here, Mr. Speaker, and says there is nothing wrong.

This crisis is personal, as it is impacting the safety and security of my constituents. In 2022, Minnesota resort owners along the Canadian border in Minnesota caught illegal immigrants trespassing on their property.

Last fall, a young girl in Bemidji, Minnesota, was sexually assaulted and 11 illegal immigrants were found at the scene.

And just last week, Mr. Speaker, authorities arrested an al-Shabaab terrorist in Minneapolis. The terrorist was caught at the southern border 1 year prior and released back into our country by the Biden administration's catch and release. They allowed him to roam for 1 year in this country, and it is alleged, Mr. Speaker, that he was trading in illegal arms.

I fear it is only a matter of time before another September 11 occurs on our soil, and we must not let that happen.

If Democrats were serious about making our border secure, they would encourage their colleagues in the Senate to pass the already House- passed bill, H.R. 2, the most strongest worded piece of legislation on our border in this country's history.

They can get it to his desk immediately for President Biden to sign, or they would call on the President to use his executive authorities, as I already stated, to reinstate President Trump's policies that were keeping our Nation safe.

But they are not serious, so, yes, I am here today to beg my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to vote for this bill that would make illegal immigrants convicted of a DUI deportable or inadmissible to our country.

Because of my law enforcement background, Mr. Speaker, I am probably one of the very few Members of Congress who has ever been to the scene of a drunk driving accident where there was a death. One of very few who has delivered death notices to unsuspecting families or victims, and I pray that none of you ever have to deliver or receive such heartbreaking news.

At a minimum, Mr. Speaker, we should keep illegal immigrants who drive under the influence of alcohol and put people's lives in danger out of this country.

To my Democratic colleagues, I ask: Get on the side of public safety and law enforcement all of the time, not just during election years. This is an easy vote, and I ask my colleagues to do the right thing and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6976.

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