[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 50 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. J. RES. 50
Recognizing that Article I, Section 10 of the United States
Constitution explicitly reserves to the States the sovereign power to
repel an invasion and defend their citizenry from the overwhelming and
``imminent danger'' posed by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels who
have seized control of our southern border.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 8, 2021
Mr. Arrington (for himself, Mr. Babin, Mr. Banks, Mr. Gooden of Texas,
Mr. Burgess, Mr. Duncan, Mrs. Cammack, Mr. Murphy of North Carolina,
Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Roy, and Ms. Herrell) submitted the following
joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
JOINT RESOLUTION
Recognizing that Article I, Section 10 of the United States
Constitution explicitly reserves to the States the sovereign power to
repel an invasion and defend their citizenry from the overwhelming and
``imminent danger'' posed by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels who
have seized control of our southern border.
Whereas the Preamble to the United States Constitution outlines the chief
responsibility of the Federal Government is to ``insure domestic
tranquility'' and ``provide for the common defense'';
Whereas Article IV, Section 4 of the United States Constitution clearly states
``The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a
Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against
Invasion'';
Whereas President Biden has continuously failed to uphold his oath and fulfil
his Constitutional duty to ``faithfully execute'' the laws of the land;
Whereas in the five months since President Biden took office, we have seen more
apprehensions at the southern border than the entirety of the previous
year;
Whereas the 178,622 apprehensions in April marked a 20-year high and represented
a 944-percent increase compared to April 2020;
Whereas those being apprehended have come from over 160 nations, including
individuals on the terrorist watch list;
Whereas nearly 6,000 criminal offenses have already been committed by illegal
immigrants in 2021, including assault, homicide, illegal drug and
contraband possession, trafficking, and sexual offenses;
Whereas this represents a 140-percent increase in criminal offenses, with
approximately 2,400 crimes committed by illegal immigrants in the
entirety of 2020;
Whereas Customs and Border Protection agents in the Del Rio sector have seen a
more than 3,000-percent increase in arrests of convicted sex offenders
compared to the previous year;
Whereas authorities have already seized over 6,000 pounds of fentanyl--enough to
kill every American four times over--in 2021, surpassing the 4,700
pounds seized in the entirety of 2020;
Whereas the United States has a drug epidemic whereby tens of thousands of
Americans die every year and over 90 percent of drugs, including heroin,
methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, are smuggled across the southern
border;
Whereas cartels act as paramilitary, narco-terrorist organizations that profit
from trafficking people and drugs into the United States;
Whereas Customs and Border Protection agents have confirmed that cartels
facilitate and profit from virtually every illegal border crossing;
Whereas the Biden Administration has repeatedly removed effective measures that
have reduced illegal immigration and secured the border, including
Migrant Protection Protocols policy, a halt on border wall construction,
a reinstatement of ``catch and release'', a weakening of asylum
requirements, and countless other policy decisions that encourage a
disregard for our laws and sovereignty and embolden cartels;
Whereas the Federal Government has recognized since 1944 the authority of the
President to ``prohibit, in whole or in part, the introduction of
persons or property from such countries or places as he shall
designate'' as potentially introducing or spreading a communicable
disease, recently known as ``Title 42'';
Whereas the Biden Administration has continuously acknowledged the public health
threat of COVID-19 but failed to fully enforce Title 42 to protect
border communities and the entire nation against COVID-19 and its
dangerous new variants;
Whereas States along our southern border--Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and
California--are forced to spend billions in their States' taxpayer
dollars to address and combat an unsecured border, as well as illegal
border crossings and their associated adverse effects;
Whereas State and local law enforcement entities are overwhelmed by dangerous
criminal activities associated with illegal border crossings, putting
officers and their communities in danger while draining local resources;
and
Whereas the quality of life and security of communities in border States are
being threatened, including ranchers suffering from stolen and damaged
property, healthcare providers with strained capacity, and educators
struggling to absorb the high volume of migrant children in classrooms:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress--
(1) recognizes that the States at our southern border,
including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California are
suffering an invasion by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels;
and
(2) recognizes and affirms the sovereign and unilateral
authority explicitly reserved to the States, respectively,
under Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution
to defend themselves against the invasion by cartels, which has
been exacerbated by the Federal Government's failure in meeting
its constitutional obligation to ``insure domestic
tranquility'', ``provide for the common defense'', ``execute
the laws'', and ``protect each [State] against invasion''.
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