OPINION:
Welcome to the 23rd Congressional District of Texas. This district represents 42% of the southern border, it’s the largest U.S.-Mexico border district in Congress. And, while rich in natural resources, agriculture, and diversity, it is being strangled to death by the lack of leadership from the Biden administration.
Twenty-two months into the Biden Presidency, communities in the 23rd district are deeply affected by illegal crossings and mass caravans of migrants from more than 150 countries.
Every community in my district is all hands-on deck as local governments and first responders exhaust their resources to contain this chaos. That comes at the expense of you, the taxpayers who are paying to receive less services. For example, San Antonio firefighters were recently enlisted to work overtime shifts at the city’s migrant shelter.
My constituents in Eagle Pass, Del Rio, and El Paso share similar experiences as every border city and town is beyond its breaking point. High speed chases, drug busts, and property damages have become part of everyday life in my district.
This is no coincidence. It is a direct result of the Biden administration’s refusal to enforce our immigration laws, and in many cases, undo them completely. President Biden’s reckless Executive Orders have incentivized chain migration like never before.
Under Biden’s open border policies, close to two million ’asylum seekers’ from over 150 countries have been admitted to the United States. Though most fail to qualify for that status, they will remain in the country for an average of seven years until their cases make their way through our backlogged immigration courts. Even if they are denied, there is no guarantee they will be deported. This is a broken system.
This administration made things even worse when they cancelled the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) last month. This program, also known as the ’Remain in Mexico’ policy, was implemented in 2019 to keep migrant caravans from overwhelming Border Patrol and our local communities. Through this initiative, migrants waited out the length of their asylum determinations in Mexican border towns, eliminating a free pass for a long-term stay in the U.S. Since the Biden administration suspended this policy, illegal crossings have spiked. For perspective, Eagle Pass, TX, with a population of 30,000, is receiving up to 10,000 migrants in a single week.
With law enforcement tied up in migrant processing centers, drug crossings have also proliferated. Just this month, Customs officers at the Del Rio Port of Entry seized $11.9 million in methamphetamine, the largest narcotics seizure in port history.
We are seeing a historic uptick in drug and human trafficking, yet Border Patrol continues to be understaffed and underfunded. A decade ago, Congress provided for a mandatory staffing floor of 21,370 Border Patrol agents. In recent years, we have been operating at 2,000 below that number. It is critical we have proper staffing levels to combat this crisis.
We must also ensure our men and women in green have access to top-notch technology to assist them with their mission to protect America. These tools are force multipliers that provide field awareness and improve agent safety.
After almost two years of chaos at our southern border, it is time for Congress to take action. Together, with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and two Democratic counterparts, we have introduced the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act. It hires additional ICE and CBP staff with the mission of getting Border Patrol agents out of migrant processing centers and back on the front lines. It speeds up deportations of those without legitimate asylum claims. In addition, I have introduced the Security First Act to allocate more funding for Operation Stonegarden - a federal grant that enables local law enforcement support Border Patrol’s enforcement efforts.
The time for talk is over, the time for action is now. When Republicans win the majority, we are ready to act on day one to implement real, common-sense solutions to save America. Who’s in?
• Tony Gonzales is a United States Representative from Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. As a career cryptologist in the U.S. Navy, he rose to the highest enlisted rank of Master Chief Petty Officer for his support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan over multiple deployments.
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