Broken Immigration System

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, since President Biden took office there have been 8.7 illegal crossings nationwide. There have been over 7.2 million illegal crossings of our southern border.

The total number of illegal immigrants who have entered through our southern border is greater than the population of 36 States, including Iowa.

Last week, the Republican-led House took a stand and passed the Laken Riley Act, legislation introduced by Representative Mike Collins.

This is in addition to having passed H.R. 2, a border security and immigration bill.

This legislation honors the life and memory of Laken Riley and other victims of the Biden administration's open-border policies and endorses immigration laws.

The legislation also requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged with theft in the United States.

I voted for the Laken Riley Act to honor Laken Riley and protect our communities. I also voted in honor of the countless victims of the border crisis, the angel families, like Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student who was killed by an illegal immigrant from Mexico, who lived in the United States for several years before murdering Mollie. Like Laken Riley, Mollie was out for a jog.

These heartbreaking stories of both Laken and Mollie are a constant reminder that our immigration system is broken and that the Biden border crisis is worsening by the minute.

Remember, it was President Obama's Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, who said more than a thousand immigrants crossing the border is a crisis.

In Iowa, according to the last CDC ``Drug Overdose Mortality by State'' report, in 2021 we had a record high of 475 overdose deaths. Across the Nation, overdose deaths cost the U.S. $1 trillion per year. In San Francisco, during COVID, there were more deaths from overdose in the 18- to 45-year-old age group than deaths from COVID.

Yet, during the President's State of the Union Address last week, he delivered a lackluster campaign speech masked as a State of the Union Address that was divisive, touted empty policies, and swept the chaos at our southern border under the rug, all while putting blame on somebody else instead of where it resides, and that is with President Biden and his administration.

I am not surprised that the President failed to mention the decline of our Nation during his State of the Union Address, but I am disappointed. I am disappointed at the President's prized appearances-- the appearance of a strong Nation, the appearance of a strong economy-- over the harsh realities that many Americans face.

We cannot continue to ignore this aggressive overreach of the Biden administration and the mounting border crisis due to his overturning of policies and not enforcing immigration laws.

I will not ignore the mounting crisis, and I urge my colleagues to join me and work to keep our communities safe from the Biden border crisis and the fentanyl and illegal drugs that are crossing our border.

Congratulating University of Iowa Women's Basketball Team

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Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the University of Iowa's women's basketball team.

Yesterday, the incredible team won their third consecutive Big Ten Tournament title.

Led by Coach Bluder, the Hawkeyes beat Nebraska in overtime. The team did an outstanding job.

Hannah Stuelke had 9 rebounds, Sydney Affolter registered her third straight 10-point performance and second career double-double with 11 points and a team-best 11 rebounds. Gabby Marshall and Kate Martin were instrumental in getting us to overtime, and Caitlin Clark was named the Big Ten Tournament MVP for the third consecutive tournament.

Caitlin is only the second player since 1995 to earn MVP honors in three consecutive State tournaments.

I am extremely proud of our women's basketball team on their stellar performance and their record-breaking season. Job well done.

Congratulations to the University of Iowa women's basketball team on winning the Big Ten Tournament.

Go Hawks.

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