NE Wyoming News

Washington, DC – On May 11, 2023, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman voted in favor of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023. This comprehensive legislation incorporates critical policies important to ending the illegal immigrant crisis on our southern border. It is a crisis that is directly the result of the failed policies and lack of enforcement by the Biden Administration - President Biden issued 94 executive orders related to the border within his first 100 days in office.

Hageman stated, “President Biden began issuing executive orders related to the southern border on his first day in office. These orders and the policies Biden directed have created this crisis of millions illegally crossing our southern border. The border is not secure and hearing Biden and Secretary Mayorkas claim otherwise an insult to every American. In fact, through these failed policies, Joe Biden has created the largest drug and human trafficking operation in United States history.

“Over ten times the population of the state of Wyoming has illegally crossed the border since Biden has been president. More than 14,000 pounds of fentanyl have come across the Southern border—enough to kill over 3.1 billion people. During the first six months of 2023, 80 people who appeared on the terror watchlist have been caught trying to cross into the United States – that's more than Fiscal Years 2017-2021 combined. 

“It is important that we remember these aren’t just abstract statistics. In February, I visited the border community of Yuma, Arizona where I heard from law enforcement and elected officials. I also visited with Yuma area hospital administrators, farmers, and citizens about the failures of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to secure the border and the terrible impact this has on their daily lives. In Yuma, all systems and services are at their breaking points due to the unyielding surge of illegal immigrants, making it impossible to provide basic services to the most vulnerable populations- citizens and non-citizens alike.

“My fellow House Republicans and I are taking action to end this crisis by passing H.R. 2. It is time to finish the wall, end “catch and release”, protect women and children from human traffickers, stop the illegal drugs flowing into the country and killing our youth, fix our broken asylum process, and force this administration to actually address the disaster they have created.”

The Border Security Act Of 2023 will:

Force the Biden Administration to restart construction of the border wall.

Deploy technology to the southern and northern border.

Increase the number of Border Patrol agents and provide bonus pay.

Require transparency regarding illegal crossings from the Department of Homeland Security.

Strengthen current law to protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking.

End catch and release.

End abuse of executive immigration authority.

Strengthen and streamline the asylum process.

Original source can be found here.