“The Biden Border Crisis has made it more crucial now than ever before that funding for our government includes a border security plan that looks like someone designed it on purpose—and that is what this amendment provides.”
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in introducing an amendment to add the Secure the Border Act to the continuing resolution the Senate is considering.
“By allowing deadly fentanyl and dangerous criminals to flow into America, Pres. Biden is failing to uphold his primary duty to protect Americans and enforce the law. The Biden Border Crisis has made it more crucial now than ever before that funding for our government includes a border security plan that looks like someone designed it on purpose—and that is what this amendment provides,” said Kennedy.
“It is imperative that any government funding bill include real border security measures. The Secure the Border Act would stop the Biden Border Crisis dead in its tracks and halt the invasion at our southern border. I am proud to be the Senate lead of the most comprehensive border security bill in decades, and it should be added to the continuing resolution to ensure that our government is enforcing the law,” said Cruz.
The Secure the Border Act is the Senate companion bill to H.R. 2, which the House of Representatives has passed. The bill would resume construction on the southern border wall, tighten asylum standards, criminalize visa overstays, increase the number of Border Patrol agents, prohibit DHS from using its app to assist illegal aliens and more.
The Secure the Border Act would:
- Require DHS to resume border wall construction.
- Tighten asylum standards.
- Narrow DHS’s parole power.
- Criminalize visa overstays.
- Require the return of all unaccompanied migrant children who do not express credible fear or are not trafficking victims.
- Increase the number of Border Patrol agents.
- Prevent Border Patrol agents from processing apprehended aliens.
- Stop non-governmental organizations from receiving federal funds to facilitate illegal immigration.
- Limit DHS’s use of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One App to cargo.
- Require all employers to electronically verify worker immigration status.
- Require CBP to certify that it has access to criminal history databases of all countries of origin and transit for aliens encountered.
Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) Mike Lee (R-Utah), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) are also co-sponsoring the amendment.
Full text of the Secure the Border Act is available here.