[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 9, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H294-H295]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PRESIDENT TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION LETTER TO CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Brooks) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, on January 4, 2019, President 
Trump sent Congress a letter about America's border crisis. That letter 
states, in part: ``It is the sovereign right of every nation to 
establish an immigration program in its national interest, lawfully 
admitting those who have followed the rules, while denying entry to 
those who break the rules or fail to meet the requirements established 
in law.
  ``A nation that fails to control its borders cannot fulfill its most 
basic obligations to its citizens, physical safety, economic security, 
essential public services, and the uniform protection of our laws. . . 
. The southern border is a very dangerous place; in fact, Border Patrol 
agents routinely encounter some of the most dangerous criminals, 
cartels, and traffickers anywhere in the world.
  ``Effective border security must dramatically reduce the entry of 
illegal immigrants, criminals, and drugs; it must keep out terrorists, 
public safety threats, and those otherwise inadmissible under U.S. law; 
and it must ensure that those who do enter without legal permission can 
be promptly and safely returned home . . . current funding levels, 
resources, and authorities are woefully inadequate to meet the scope of 
the problem. We are no longer in a status quo situation at the southern 
border, but in a crisis situation. Status quo funding is not enough.

  ``In fiscal year 2018, 17,000 adults at the border with existing 
criminal records were arrested by Customs and Border Protection and 
border agents.
  ``In FY 2017 and FY 2018, ICE officers arrested approximately 235,000 
aliens on various criminal charges or convictions within the interior 
of the United States, including roughly 100,000 for assault, 30,000 for 
sex crimes, and 4,000 for homicides.''
  For emphasis, over the past 2 years, illegal aliens have averaged 
50,000 physical assaults, 15,000 sex crimes, and 2,000 killings per 
year, all in America.
  Returning to President Trump's letter: ``300 Americans are killed 
every week from heroin, 90 percent of which floods across our southern 
border.''
  Stated differently, our porous southern border and illegal aliens 
contribute to the deaths of another 15,000 Americans per year from just 
one drug, heroin. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there 
are another 55,000 dead Americans from overdoses from other poisonous 
drugs, many of which, like heroin, steal across our porous southern 
border.
  President Trump continues in his letter:
  ``Illegal immigration is not progressive. By every measure it is 
unfair, unjust, uncompassionate, and cruel. Many people are killed. It 
hurts both those who make the journey and so many communities bearing 
the cost in lives, safety, and dollars. . . . Absolutely critical to 
border security and national security is a wall or a physical barrier 
that prevents entry in the first place. Members of both parties--
including then-Senators Obama and Clinton, current Senator Schumer, and 
many other Members of the House and Senate--all voted for a hard 
physical barrier. Walls work. That's why rich, powerful, and successful 
people build them around their homes. All Americans deserve the same 
protection. In Israel, it is 99 percent effective.''
  Madam Speaker, open borders advocates forced Washington to either 
shut down the government or do nothing, nothing to prevent the deaths 
of thousands of Americans each year that result from our porous 
southern border and illegal alien criminal activity. This is a bad 
choice.
  To the contrary, we should both end the government shutdown and 
secure our borders by building a wall and changing our immigration laws 
to protect the lives of American men, women, and children.
  Madam Speaker, I include in the Record President Trump's letter to 
Congress.


                                              The White House,

                                      Washington, January 4, 2019.
       Dear Members of Congress: Congratulations to Speaker Nancy 
     Pelosi, and her entire team, on her election to be Speaker of 
     the House. I look forward to working together on our shared 
     priorities for the American People, including rebuilding our 
     infrastructure, reforming unfair trade deals, and reducing 
     the price of prescription drugs. Our recent bipartisan 
     success on numerous legislative accomplishments such as 
     Criminal Justice Reform, opioid legislation, and the Farm 
     Bill, underscores the extraordinary achievements that are 
     possible when we rise above party politics to advance the 
     good of the Nation as a whole.
       As we begin this new Congress, our first task should be to 
     reopen the Government and to deliver on our highest duty as 
     elected officials: the security of the Nation and its 
     borders.
       It is the sovereign right of every nation to establish an 
     immigration program in its national interest--lawfully 
     admitting those who have followed the rules, while denying 
     entry to those who break the rules or fail to meet the 
     requirements established in law.
       A nation that fails to control its borders cannot fulfill 
     its most basic obligations to its citizens--physical safety, 
     economic security, essential public services, and the uniform 
     protection of our laws.
       I was grateful for the opportunity to meet with 
     Congressional leadership at the White House this Wednesday to 
     discuss the border security crisis, and the need for a 
     government funding bill that secures the border and keeps 
     Americans safe.
       During the meeting, there was debate over the nature and 
     extent of this crisis and its impact on Americans. It had 
     been my hope that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen 
     Nielsen would have the opportunity to deliver a presentation 
     discussing the facts about the depth and severity of the 
     humanitarian crisis and the security crisis that is now 
     unfolding at the Southern Border.
       However, some of those present did not want to hear the 
     presentation at the time, and so I have instead decided to 
     make the presentation available to all Members of Congress. I 
     encourage you to review it carefully, to share it with your 
     staff, and to discuss it with other lawmakers. In crafting a 
     Homeland Security bill, it is essential that we make 
     decisions based upon the facts on the ground--not ideology 
     and rhetoric--and that we listen to the law enforcement 
     personnel on the front lines. The Southern Border is a very 
     dangerous place--in fact, Border Patrol agents routinely 
     encounter some of the most dangerous criminals, cartels, and 
     traffickers anywhere in the world.
       Effective border security must dramatically reduce the 
     entry of illegal immigrants, criminals, and drugs; it must 
     keep out terrorists, public safety threats, and those 
     otherwise inadmissible under U.S. law; and it must ensure 
     that those who do enter without legal permission can be 
     promptly and safely returned home.
       As the enclosed presentation makes clear, current funding 
     levels, resources, and authorities are woefully inadequate to 
     meet the scope of the problem. We are no longer in a status 
     quo situation at the Southern Border but in a crisis 
     situation. Status quo funding is not enough.
       In fiscal year (FY) 2018, 17,000 adults at the border with 
     existing criminal records were arrested by Customs and Border 
     Protection (CBP) and border agents.
       In FY2017 and FY2018, ICE officers arrested approximately 
     235,000 aliens on various criminal charges or convictions 
     within the interior of the United States--including roughly 
     100,000 for assault, 30,000 for sex crimes, and 4,000 for 
     homicides.
       We are now averaging 60,000 illegal and inadmissible aliens 
     a month on our Southern Border.
       Last month alone, more than 20,000 minors were smuggled 
     into the United States.
       The immigration court backlog is nearly 800,000 cases.
       There has been a 2,000 percent increase in asylum claims 
     over the last five years, with the largest growth coming from 
     Central America--while around 9 in 10 claims from Central 
     American migrants are ultimately rejected by the immigration 
     courts, the applicant has long since been released into the 
     interior of the United States.
       In FY2017, roughly 135,000 illegal and inadmissible family 
     units arrived from Central America. Of those, less than 2 
     percent have been successfully removed from the country due 
     to a shortage of resources and glaring loopholes in our 
     federal laws.
       So far in FY2019, we have seen a 280 percent increase in 
     family units from FY2018.
       300 Americans are killed every week from heroin--90 percent 
     of which floods across our Southern Border.
       Illegal immigration is a humanitarian crisis: 1 in 3 
     migrant women is sexually assaulted on the journey northward 
     to the U.S. border; 50 illegal migrants a day are referred 
     for emergency medical care; and CBP rescues 4,300 people a 
     year who are in danger and distress.
       Illegal immigration is NOT progressive--by every measure, 
     it is unfair, unjust, uncompassionate, and cruel. Many people 
     are killed. It hurts both those who make the journey and so 
     many communities bearing the cost in lives, safety, and 
     dollars.
       Senator Chuck Schumer once said: ``Illegal immigration is 
     wrong, plain and simple. Until the American people are 
     convinced that we will stop future flows of illegal 
     immigration, we will make no progress on dealing with the 
     millions of illegal immigrants

[[Page H295]]

     who are here now, and on rationalizing our system of legal 
     immigration. That's plain and simple and unavoidable.''
       Absolutely critical to border security and national 
     security is a wall or a physical barrier that prevents entry 
     in the first place. Members of both parties--including then 
     Senators Obama and Clinton, current Senator Schumer, and many 
     other members of the House and Senate--all voted for a hard, 
     physical barrier. Walls work. That's why rich, powerful, and 
     successful people build them around their homes. All 
     Americans deserve the same protection. In Israel, it is 99 
     percent effective.
       We must also close the legal gaps in America's defenses. 
     Loopholes in federal law that prevent removals provide a 
     magnet for illegal entry, and a lucrative business model for 
     vicious coyotes, while overwhelming the U.S. immigration 
     system. The worst loopholes incentivize the smuggling of 
     minors. Under these legal loopholes, if an illegal minor, or 
     those traveling with a minor, merely set foot on United 
     States soil, they cannot be successfully returned home. This 
     explains the profound increases in the arrival of minors 
     travelling both alone and with adults on the dangerous 
     journey to our border.
       To protect these children from abuse, and stop this illegal 
     flow, we must close these loopholes. This is an urgent 
     humanitarian necessity. Children are terribly used by 
     criminals and coyotes to gain access to our country--they are 
     the biggest victims of all.
       The most pressing legal changes are as follows:
       Terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement--which is 
     preventing families from being held together through removal; 
     and
       Amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization 
     Act (TVPRA), to allow for the safe and humane return of 
     illegally-smuggled minors back to their families in their 
     home countries.
       Americans have endured decades of broken promises on 
     illegal immigration. Now, is the time for both parties to 
     rise above the partisan discord, to set aside political 
     convenience, and to put the national interest first. Now is 
     the time--this is the moment--to finally secure the border 
     and create the lawful and safe immigration system Americans, 
     and those wanting to become Americans, deserve.
           Sincerely,
     Donald J. Trump.

                          ____________________