[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 20, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H1964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THE SOUTHERN BORDER

  (Mr. GUEST asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, since mid-January we have seen a surge of 
immigrants coming into the country along our southwest border. The 
numbers are staggering, and the situation along the border continues to 
deteriorate daily. In March, over 172,000 individuals were encountered 
by law enforcement, the highest number of monthly encounters in the 
last 15 years.
  Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the border and met with 
both Federal and State law enforcement officers. We heard repeatedly 
that recent changes by the Biden administration have driven the 
overwhelming surge.
  Lost in the border conversation is the incredible amount of resources 
being diverted to try and manage the immigrants we are encountering. 
This shift in resources is being exploited by drug cartels who continue 
to use the southwest border as the primary pipeline to bring cocaine, 
methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the country.
  The question can no longer be: Is there a crisis along the border?
  But instead it should be: How long will the crisis last, and how bad 
must the crisis become before the President will act?

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