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“BORDER SECURITY” mentioning Tina Smith was published in the Senate section on pages S1419-S1420 on March 9.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
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The publication is reproduced in full below:
BORDER SECURITY
Mr. President, we started to see headlines bubbling up about the building crisis at the southern border that is threatening to boil over. Americans back home are paying attention. They are watching what is going on and seeing how it is getting worse by the day. The saddest thing is that this was predictable and preventable.
Protecting our border and cutting down illegal immigration matters to the people of Alabama and the rest of the country. Alabamians are law-
abiding people. We play by the rules, and we expect others to follow them too. When people break the rules, they have to face the consequences, plain and simple. That is how our country should operate, by law and order.
Enforcing the laws on our books cannot be an option. Sadly, this type of selected enforcement is exactly what President Biden has done during his short time in office. President Biden has put forward an immigration proposal that would completely upend our existing immigration policy and give out American citizenship like it is candy.
But before that, he made sure to lay the groundwork with Executive orders. President Biden quickly reversed many of President Trump's most successful border control policies with the stroke of his pen. And his Secretary of Homeland Security, whose Department oversees immigration policy and border security, has made it clear he is not interested in enforcing existing laws. We have seen the dangerous effects of President Biden's policies already, and it has barely been 2 months.
But we have also seen some mixed messaging. The same day President Biden issued an order that said building a border wall is a ``waste of money that diverts attention from genuine threats to our homeland security,'' his Department of Homeland Security released official data that tells otherwise. In January 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Protection encountered approximately 78,000 illegal immigrants, a 6-
percent increase from December 2020. Within that number, roughly, 64,800 were single adults, a 157-percent increase compared to January of last year. For unaccompanied children, there has been a 91-percent increase in apprehensions compared to last January.
The data shows the number of illegal immigrants trying to cross the southern border is going up during a month when, historically, apprehensions are low. In fact, the staggering number of people arrested crossing the border illegally this January is the most any January has seen in more than a decade.
In March 2020, President Trump invoked title 42 along the southern border. That means that, in the interest of public health, only essential travelers are permitted to enter the United States. President Biden has maintained title 42 for this purpose, with one exception: Unaccompanied children can still come in.
News outlets reported that border officials told President Biden they
``anticipate 117,000 children will arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian in 2021.'' Why? Because President Biden has given them a free pass to enter the United States. This number is on pace to exceed the alltime record that was set under the Obama administration by 45 percent.
The greater problem here is that the administration doesn't have enough space to put these children. President Biden was recently briefed on a plan to add 20,000 more beds to meet the needs. Yet, yesterday, news reports showed a record number of unaccompanied children--more than 3,200--are in Border Patrol's custody. Almost half of these children have been held beyond the 3-day legal limit. The facilities are overwhelmed and bursting at the seams. Folks in the Southwest are already referring to this increase as the ``Biden effect.''
Now Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas has the gall to blame the current border crisis on the Trump administration. So why, then, does the Secretary think that new records are being set during the typical off months of January and February? I will tell you why. It is a direct result of President Biden ditching border security measures and sending a ``come one, come all'' signal. President Biden decided to message to the world that our border is open. We shouldn't be surprised that people showed up. We all saw this coming, and we warned that reversing President Trump's policies would lead to national security and humanitarian crises.
On top of all of this, President Biden's administration is subjecting American citizens to more stringent standards to enter our country than it is with illegal immigrants. On January 26, the CDC began requiring anyone flying to the United States, including American citizens, to provide evidence of a negative COVID test taken within 3 days of their flight. That makes sense. Migrants crossing our border are not subject to the same requirement.
I sent a letter to Secretary Mayorkas about this issue, and I have not yet received a response, but media reports out of Texas seem to have already found the answer. As FoxNews.com reported, more than 100 illegal immigrants released by Border Patrol agents in Brownsville, TX, in the last few weeks have tested positive for the coronavirus. So these folks can cross the border illegally and get tested by the city at the bus stop where the agents let them off, but the city has no authority to prevent them from traveling elsewhere even if they test positive for COVID. How does that fit into President Biden's plan to bring our country out of this pandemic? American citizens have to prove they have negative tests to enter the country, but illegal immigrants do not.
At a time when the virus is on the retreat, thanks in large part to the vaccine developed by President Trump's Operation Warp Speed, we cannot now afford to allow thousands and thousands of illegal immigrants into the country, especially without screening them for COVID. It is not only a reckless security policy; it is a reckless health policy. We just spent $1.9 trillion because that is supposedly what the country needs to help get us past this pandemic. Yet we are going to let people into the country, unchecked, to potentially spread the virus.
President Biden's policies at the border are reckless. The American people can see it for themselves, and the data prove how bad the situation has become in such a quick timeframe.
We can and should take positive, proactive, concrete steps to secure our border and strengthen our national security. There are two big items to address right away.
No. 1, we should maintain the Migrant Protection Protocols Program. This system was put in place during the Trump administration to process migrant asylum claims at the border without releasing people into the United States. It requires that migrants remain in Mexico pending the completion of their cases. It was successful--hugely successful. The number of apprehensions along the border went down when people realized they couldn't just come walking into the United States. It was exactly the kind of message we want to send: Our borders are not wide open. You must follow the rules. You must get in line.
Since taking office, President Biden has dismantled the program and is bringing in nearly 30,000 people who are waiting in Mexico.
No. 2, we should continue to build the wall. My constituents expect me to hammer this point home every day. A strong wall will help prevent illegal migrants from crossing over our border between ports of entry to avoid law enforcement.
Just recently, there were reports of a car crash in California that left 13 illegal migrants dead who were stuffed and stacked in the back of a truck. Border Patrol officers believe these migrants entered through a ``dilapidated border fence'' in Southern California. Weaknesses in our border allow human trafficking efforts like this to continue. This has to stop. Without needed fixes, President Biden offers false hope, and that is a dangerous signal for desperate people.
Today, I am only mentioning two ways to address the border surge. There are plenty more, and I plan to advocate for them in the weeks and months to come because, unlike this President and his administration, I am fighting for the safety and security of the American people.
I understand our immigration system is not perfect, and I understand President Biden has a different view on what our immigration system should look like, and he has made no secret about where he stands. But any immigration reform proposed must include policies that strengthen our lawful immigration system and protect our Nation's borders. So far, President Biden's policies do neither.
I can respect different visions for the future even though I may strongly disagree with them, but what I and the people of Alabama will not stand for is a refusal to enforce the laws of today. It puts our country at risk and encourages migrants to seek dangerous paths to enter our country instead of the legal paths our laws provide. Allowing illegal immigration to go unchecked fundamentally undermines the rule of law in this country. Without laws and without borders where those laws apply, a sovereign nation ceases to exist.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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