[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 29 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1356-S1358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BORDER SECURITY
Mr. PERDUE. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about an experience I
had this weekend that was extremely memorable to me.
I used to live in Texas. I used to be involved in businesses in the
Valley, as they call it there--from Brownsville to Weslaco, to
Edinburg, to McCowan. This past weekend, a good colleague of mine,
Senator Steve Daines from Montana, and I traveled to the southern
border to visit the Customs and Border Patrol people, to visit with ICE
people, and to see firsthand what goes on in a typical night. We were
there overnight on Sunday night. We had a remarkable evening, and we
saw firsthand what these people are up against.
Before I make my comments, I want to say that from Deputy Chief Ortiz
all the way down in the organization in that sector--the McCowan sector
that we were in--the best of America is in uniform right now, every day
and night, protecting our rights and privileges here in the United
States. I was proud to meet these people and to be a part of this trip.
What we saw this weekend is disturbing on many levels. We spoke
directly to Border Patrol agents. We went to the retention center. We
saw firsthand that we have not just illegal immigration there, but we
have a national security crisis. We saw it firsthand.
This is a situation that the border agents face every day, and it is
a grim situation. It is shameful that we here in Congress have not
given Border Patrol agents adequate resources to do their jobs.
First, the real tragedy at the border is the dramatic increase in
illegal drug trafficking. Even though the conversation in this room
deals mainly with illegal immigration across that border, in this
sector, the drug traffic increases are remarkable.
This year alone, fiscal year 2018--this is from October 1 to today--
we had a 22-percent increase of heroin seized at the southern border, a
38-percent increase of methamphetamine and a 73-percent increase in
fentanyl.
The amount of fentanyl seized by ICE so far this year is enough to
kill every American citizen by overdose. Let me say that again. The
tonnage of fentanyl seized is up 73 percent this year across the entire
southern border, and that is not 100 percent of what is crossing that
border. That is a 73-percent increase over the last year. The tonnage
that has been seized this year is enough to kill every American citizen
by overdose.
What is so remarkable is the estimate that only 7 to 10 percent of
the drugs that they are attempting to bring across the border are
actually interdicted--less than 10 percent. That is consistent with
what our SOUTHCOM combatant commander tells us repeatedly year after
year. By the end of fiscal year 2019, CPB--Customs and Border Patrol--
will have seized 1.7 million pounds of narcotics at the border.
The Border Patrol agents we spoke to estimate that they are only able
to stop, again, about 10 percent, and that is because they don't have
the resources.
The movement of drugs from Mexico to the United States at the
southern border is the greatest drug threat to our country. These drugs
pouring across the border are destroying communities across the Nation.
Congress has to act to give these Border Patrol agents and our ICE
agents the infrastructure they need to address this dramatic spike in
illegal drug trafficking.
I know that the illegal immigration topic is a hot topic. I don't
disagree
[[Page S1357]]
with that, but we are not talking about this at the level that we
should.
We have had historic opioid legislation. I was a supporter of that.
Now we need to move on and make sure we secure the southern border.
The second point I want to make is that agents on the ground told us
how Mexican drug cartels just across the border use migrants--illegal
immigrants coming up out of Central America--to camouflage what they
are doing and to distract our border agents from the real war that is
going on, and that is the intrusion of illegal drugs into the country.
The cartels charge a toll for every individual who comes through
their area of control. It is amazing right now. The charge is $8,000
per person. There are some estimates that this toll business on illegal
immigrants coming across the southern border is somewhere around $2.1
billion in revenue for the cartels. These are the illegal cartels just
south of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. This doesn't account for the
billions of dollars these cartels earn from the drug trade every year,
which is a primary business.
There are some estimates that the $2 billion they get in tolls for
illegal immigrants coming into the United States is overshadowed by
tenfold, relative to the drug trade. Some estimates are $25 to $30
billion of first cost value in revenue from the drugs that are coming
across that border.
Many of the illegal immigrants being exploited by these cartels are
unaccompanied children and family units. We met some of these people.
It breaks your heart. The number of these to claim asylum has surged at
our southern border since 2014. This massive surge is due to loopholes
in our asylum and immigration laws.
These laws allow unaccompanied minors and family units to easily
assert broad asylum claims. Again, the number of family units,
individuals with children, and unaccompanied children has skyrocketed
over the last 5 years.
Due to certain provisions in the law and court rulings currently
enforced, these children and individuals are released into the United
States while they are theoretically waiting for their formal removal
proceedings to begin months or years down the road.
These loopholes, combined with programs like DACA, have led to a
staggering increase in the number of unaccompanied children and family
units at the border.
In fiscal year 2019 to date, there is a 280-percent increase in the
number of family units apprehended at the border compared to the same
point in fiscal year 2018. From just 1 year ago, there is a 280-percent
increase.
The monthly apprehension numbers we are currently seeing even surpass
those during the Obama administration. I think this chart shows it
best. We see what happened over here, in blue, under the last
administration. This is a dramatic increase in the number of illegal
apprehensions at the southern border, primarily driven by catch-and-
release and the implementation of some of these loopholes we are
talking about right now. That was a dramatic increase--more than a 2\1/
2\ times increase--250 percent in just 8 years.
The word got out that the new President, who was elected in
November--right here--said: Well, we are going to enforce the law. They
began to do that, and we saw a dramatic decrease in illegal immigrants
coming across the border--a dramatic decrease.
Then there was a court case that said: Well, you can't really do
that. That court case is being appealed, and what we have seen since
then is that the cartels are back in business. This is one measure of
the drug trade that we don't talk about. These are the poor souls who
are coming across our border illegally right now.
By the way, we are at a point now that is higher than at the peak
during the Obama administration. People say: Well, you know, we don't
have a crisis here. It is not a problem. Well, the numbers are down.
I don't know what numbers they are looking at, but these are the
numbers. These are facts. I believe right now we have a full-blown
crisis at the southern border.
I am not trying to define how we use money to put up a border wall or
anything. That is not what I am trying to do in this speech. What I am
trying to do is point out that we have a full-blown crisis of illegal
immigrants and illegal drugs crossing the southern border. I saw it
firsthand on patrol with our border agents over the weekend. I am
contrasting that with years ago, when I used to go across that same
border, when this was not a crisis.
The last four Presidents have built 654 miles of barriers. We saw
some of it in this sector. They have built 654 miles of barriers. Now
we have 2,000 miles of total southern border. The four Presidents--from
George H. W. Bush all the way to President Obama--have built border
barriers because they all agreed that this is a crisis. It was intended
to stop or slow down drug trafficking and the illegal incursion of
illegal immigrants.
President Obama built 135 miles. President Trump has 124 miles under
construction right now. What we have been talking about here in the
last few weeks is just 55 miles; we heard today it is an additional 55
miles.
The question is, Do these barriers work? Well, we have three areas
where, over the last 30 years, border barriers have been built--San
Diego, Tucson, El Paso--and we have actual numbers to show that the
illegal crossing of drugs and illegal immigrants in those sectors where
those barriers were put up dropped 95 percent. But what they have done
is, they have pushed this traffic to areas that don't have those
barriers. One of those was the McCowan district, which we visited this
weekend.
There are 250 miles of border across 19 counties. It is a crisis down
there. Right now, what we have there is 55 miles of barrier with 35
gaps in it. They have 55 miles that were built in 2006 in this sector.
It is totally ineffective. The quickest thing we could do in that
sector is close the 35 gaps. There were supposed to be gates, but there
are no gates there. There is some litigation regarding that, but we
need to fix that and make that barrier effective.
The U.S. Capitol Police--who do such an outstanding job protecting
Members of Congress, our staffs, the Capitol building, and several
blocks around every day--employs about 2,000 officers. The Metropolitan
Police Department here in Washington has over 4,000 employees to help
protect an area of 68 square miles.
Let's put that in perspective. There are 55 miles of barrier with 35
miles of gaps in it, and only 3,000 agents in that entire sector. I
think you can see where the problem might be.
We have to give these men and women the tools they need to be
successful and to protect our country. The longer we wait to take
action, the more money cartels will make off drug trafficking, the more
people will die, the more families will be destroyed, and the longer
our communities will be in danger.
Some estimates show that my home State of Georgia has over 70,000
gang members in it--70,000. It is a destination for these people.
There were Hondurans who were apprehended that night while we were on
patrol. We asked them where they were going. One said New York; one
said Miami; and one said Woodstock, GA.
As we continue to debate this issue, I want to say clearly and
unequivocally that Congress has to do better. We all must do better.
For the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to
protect our Nation's border, we must do better for our country.
We can start by passing disaster funding for the people in Georgia
and other States who are hurting from historic hurricanes and fires. It
is outrageous that the funding package being considered here today does
nothing to help these farmers and victims of these wildfires out west
and of the hurricanes in the southeast.
When President Trump came to Georgia to tour the damage after the
hurricane, he said:
Farmers really got hurt, especially in Georgia, but we're
going to get it taken care of.
Vice President Pence said:
We will rebuild these crops and these communities. We will
restore southwest Georgia. We will restore the Sunbelt region
bigger and better than ever before.
We have a moment right now in time where Congress needs to act. Today
we have to get this funding done and move forward. We have to get this
disaster relief, I think, moved forward in a supplemental, if that is
what we are going to do, but this has to happen immediately. Disaster
relief should be considered right now--no more excuses.
[[Page S1358]]
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
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