West El Dorado News

Washington, D.C. – H.R. 2640 passed the House Judiciary Committee today by a vote of 23 to 15.  The Border Security and Enforcement Act is a comprehensive measure addressing illegal immigration and border security.

“Protecting our borders is critical to our national security and is our responsibility as a nation,” McClintock said. “The unprecedented illegal mass migration has reached historic proportions. We are all seeing the impact of these policies – on schools, hospitals, public safety, wages and social services.”

Under the Biden Administration, two million illegal aliens have been deliberately admitted into the United States.  H.R. 2640 restores successful Trump immigration policies and removes the rewards and incentives that Democrats have used to entice millions of people to violate our nation’s sovereignty.

H.R. 2640 reforms the asylum process to deter fraudulent asylum claims.  The bill also applies penalties for visa overstays, ends the abuse of parole authority to circumvent immigration law, and enforces existing law that makes it illegal to hire an illegal immigrant.

Representative McClintock’s opening statement delivered at the Judiciary Committee hearing in support of H.R. 2640 is below.

Mr. Chairman:

On Inauguration Day, our border was secure.  The Trump policies had slowed illegal immigration to a trickle.  It was no coincidence that working Americans saw their wages grow faster than anytime in 40 years and the income gap between rich and poor was actually narrowing for the first time in decades.

That afternoon, Joe Biden changed all that.  The Democrats deliberately initiated the largest illegal mass migration in history.  In the last 27 months, they have deliberately admitted two million illegal aliens into our country.  That is larger than the entire population of Nebraska.  While the Border Patrol was overwhelmed, another 1.5 million known got-aways entered as well.  That is an additional illegal population larger than the entire state of Hawaii.  All in just 27 months.

For Americans, this means classrooms packed with non-English speaking students.  It means hospitals flooded with illegal aliens demanding uncompensated care.  It means violent criminal cartels and gangs introduced into our communities and sanctuary policies that make deportation of convicted criminal aliens all but impossible in most cases.  It means a fentanyl epidemic claiming 300 American lives – the equivalent of two 737 jetliners crashing – every day.  It means suppressed wages for working families as the labor market is flooded with cheap, illegal labor. 

A federal judge recently described the Democrats’ policy as “akin to posting a flashing ‘come in, we’re open’ sign at the southern border.”  For the growing millions responding to that invitation, two thousand have died that we know of, countless thousands have been forced into indentured servitude to the cartels and thousands of unaccompanied children have been abandoned to sexual and labor exploitation under horrific conditions.

HR 2640, the Border Security and Enforcement Act, combines legislation from Mr. Biggs, Mr. Roy, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Carter of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Louisiana, Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Moran, and myself to restore the successful Trump policies and remove the rewards and incentives the Democrats have used to entice people to violate our nation’s sovereignty.

Title I reforms the asylum process to deter fraudulent asylum claims from aliens, including economic migrants, and assures that aliens granted asylum are truly being persecuted by their government. 

Title II stops rewarding fraudulent asylum claims with automatic admission to our country, free goods and services, cash payments, and indefinite residency and work authorization.  It enforces existing law that asylum claimants be detained or, as an alternative, mandates restoring the Trump Remain in Mexico Policy and safe third country agreements. 

Title III fixes the disastrous Flores settlement that rewards illegal aliens who rent or buy children to pose as a family unit to avoid detention.  Instead, it keeps legitimate families together as they await adjudication of their asylum claims in detention or in Mexico.

Title IV requires that an unaccompanied child be immediately and safely returned to their home – as we already do for unaccompanied children from Mexico and Canada – rather than allow them to be trafficked, abandoned and then exploited in our country.  If a child shows up at your door, you have a moral obligation to get them safely home - not drop them off at a sweatshop – or worse -- down the street.  Our government is essentially doing that right now, and it is morally reprehensible. 

Title V applies the same penalties for visa overstays as we do for illegal border crossings.  It is a misdemeanor to cross the border illegally – a felony to cross it repeatedly – and yet only an infraction to overstay a visa.  A visa is just as important as a border and the visaholder’s violation should be treated the same.  Prior to the Democrats opening our southern border to millions of illegal immigrants, nearly half of the illegal population in this country simply overstayed their visa.

Title VI ends the abuse of parole authority to circumvent immigration law.  Parole is inherently a case-by-case review based on individual circumstances in which the rigors of the law are inappropriate.  Parole by category isn’t parole.  It is a new law and should be considered and passed by Congress in a nation that respects the rule of law.  In 27 months, the Democrats have allowed over one million migrants into the country through this abuse.

Finally, Title VII enforces existing law that makes it illegal to hire an illegal alien.  It requires U.S. employers to use the quick and easy electronic program, known as E-Verify, to verify the employment eligibility of their new hires.

To bring order to the border and resurrect respect for U.S. immigration law, the Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023 is essential. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Original source can be found here