[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 26, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H4491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          CRISIS AT OUR BORDER

  (Mr. GROTHMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, I would like to report on what I did 
during my time off. I spent time at the Mexican border, both in San 
Diego and Yuma, and received a further shock, if that is possible, on 
what I think is the most important story facing America today. Indeed, 
every reporter or every major news organization ought to have somebody 
making daily reports on the border.
  Two weeks ago tonight, in Yuma, I saw two groups--about 80 people--
crossing the border. So you understand, those people were from 
Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Cuba, Bangladesh, India, and Uzbekistan. In 
other words, the whole world is coming here.
  Because of the huge amount of paperwork, the average Border Patrol 
agent reports to work, and unlike immediately guarding the border, like 
they should, 70 percent of them are doing paperwork. At the end of 
their shift, 90 percent are doing paperwork.
  For that reason, it is not surprising the confiscation of drugs is 
going down--not because there are less drugs coming into our country 
and killing 100,000 people a year. The reason so few drugs are being 
confiscated is we have a shortage of Border Patrol agents and they have 
got to spend all their time doing paperwork.
  Madam Speaker, I beg the rest of my colleagues to go to the border 
and learn about this.

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