The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), along with a broad coalition of public policy groups and former high-level national security personnel, has sent a letter to congressional leaders demanding that H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, be attached to any spending agreement to fund the federal government beyond September 30.
H.R. 2 was approved by the House of Representatives on May 11, but the Senate has failed to act on this critical legislation to secure our nation’s borders. Since then, the unprecedented border crisis touched-off by Biden administration policies, has only grown worse, compromising our nation’s security and threatening the solvency, safety and stability of communities all across the country.
“Enacting a CR without demanding change would result in the continuation of funding and policies put in place by the disastrous FY2023 omnibus, which has given the Biden administration the ability to ‘manage’ a never-ending, self-inflicted crisis by allowing it to entice, guide, process, transport, house, and provide social services to even more illegal aliens,” states the letter.
“The Secure the Border Act includes commonsense provisions to end the crisis that are broadly supported by the American public. As numerous state and local leaders – including many from the president’s own party – have stated publicly, the status quo is unsustainable,” said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. Key provisions of H.R. 2 include resuming border wall construction; closing gaping loopholes in our asylum policies; ending wholesale catch-and-release practices; preventing the surge of unaccompanied children to our borders; and reining in the Biden administration’s abuse of parole authority to allow inadmissible aliens to gain entry and work in the United States.
“Congress cannot hand the Biden administration a blank check that allows them to continue subverting our immigration laws and endangering national security. Conditioning a spending package on the inclusion of H.R. 2 presents the administration and its allies in Congress with a clear choice: Keep the border open, or keep the government open,” concluded Stein.
