During Friday’s House Appropriations Committee markup, Congresswoman Hinson offered several proposals to strengthen immigration enforcement and support border patrol agents and law enforcement officials at the Southern Border. Democrats on the committee rejected these amendments. Key highlights are below.
On strengthening immigration enforcement: “Just recently it was reported that a known suspected terrorist was released into our country. ICE had to wait to be able to get the authorization just to arrest him. That doesn’t make sense. This is a flat-out failure by DHS leadership and we need to end these ridiculous priority hoops our agents have to jump through to be able to do their jobs.”
On Remain in Mexico: “President Biden inherited a more secure border and this crisis is directly tied to decisions made by this President and his Administration. Remain in Mexico is one of the policies that was very successful, I heard that directly from the border patrol agents I talked with, but President Biden tried to derail this policy since day one of his Administration. We need to fund this program and reinstate it as it was. Remain in Mexico, when implemented fully, has proven to be effective in addressing excessive levels of migration.”
On the Administration flying illegal immigrants into the US: “The Biden Administration can’t contain the crisis they’ve caused – their facilities are overcrowded, and the border communities have had enough. So, what does the President do? Just fly illegal immigrants across the country on taxpayer dollars and drop them off in our communities. There’s no justification for this. Instead of securing the border and stopping the record surges, they’re releasing illegal immigrants into the country and flying them to Iowa and throughout the interior. I will keep fighting for the safety and security of my constituents and I will continue to push back on this practice to ensure that taxpayers are not footing another bill for this Administration’s failed policies. My amendment will ensure that these secret flights don’t happen again.”
On resources for the border wall: “CBP is stretched thin – this bill doesn’t even give them enough funding to keep up with inflation, but we’re trying to take away some of their most valuable tools. Just a few weeks ago, I was at the Southern Border meeting with Border Patrol (something the President still hasn’t done I might add). They told me how critical the wall and border security technology are. These tools are a force multiplier, allowing agents to focus their resources and respond where they’re needed most.”
