[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 18, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2575-S2577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Border Security

  Mr. LANKFORD. Madam President, in tracking through what is happening 
on our southern border, it is interesting I still have folks that catch 
me and say, ``I don't see anything about it in the news anymore, so 
what is happening?''
  So I try to periodically come here to the floor to be able to 
describe what is happening. Interestingly enough, just yesterday, the 
leadership of CBP did their news release that they normally do to kind 
of outline what is happening at the border.
  In their news release they released out:

       CBP works to secure and manage our borders while building a 
     fair and orderly [im]migration system.

  This is what they put out yesterday--while we build an orderly and 
fair migration system.
  Interestingly enough, this was a picture taken the day before their 
press release. This was taken in the Eagle Pass area of Texas in the 
Rio Grande Valley, and, yes, that line you see are people coming across 
the river in Eagle Pass.
  Now, you don't catch everything because you can't see how much 
farther it goes this way and how much farther it goes that way.
  This was the day before CBP released this statement: We work to 
secure and manage our borders while building a fair and orderly 
migration system.
  Earlier in the report, the very first page of the news release, CBP 
leadership said:

       After many months of planning, we are executing a 
     comprehensive strategy to safely, orderly, and humanely 
     manage our borders. CBP is surging personnel and resources to 
     the border, increasing processing capacity, securing more air 
     and ground transportation, and increasing medical supplies, 
     food, water and other resources to ensure a humane 
     environment for those being processed, screened, and vetted.

  By the way, just south and west of this, just the day before this was 
taken, Border Patrol picked up two child sex predators, four MS-13 gang 
members, and an 18th Street gang member--just right before this, just 
the day before this was released.
  This is our frustration with the administration right now. Because 
the media has turned away and decided they are not going to look at 
this, that they are not going to pay attention to it, everyone seems to 
think everything has just gotten fine.
  What is really happening on our southern border, again, from current 
statistics right now, they are only able to handle 44 percent of the 
flow coming across the border. At 44 percent of the flow, right now, 
they are releasing thousands of people directly into the country with a 
notice to report saying: ``Turn yourself in to an ICE facility anywhere 
in the country, and they will process you there,'' because they can't 
handle the backlog of the thousands of people coming across.
  What are we talking about, thousands of people? Well, remember last 
year when the cameras were all focused on the southern border? Last 
year, there were 6,500 migrants coming across a day at this time, and 
all the cameras were focused on the southern border because it was such 
a massive influx of people because 6,500 migrants were crossing a day. 
Right now, 7,800 migrants are crossing a day--7,800 a day.
  Last month, the CBP released that almost a quarter million people 
illegally crossed our southern border in 1 month. That beat the old 
record of the month before when there was just under that by a couple 
thousand people--a quarter million people a month illegally crossing 
the border.
  Now, to their credit, about half of those are turned away under what 
is

[[Page S2576]]

called title 42 authority because of the pandemic. Those single adults, 
half of them are turned back, but the interesting thing is the 
administration says on May 23--yes, next week--on May 23, they want to 
end title 42 authority, and so they are not turning anyone away at the 
border--so literally all quarter million cross into the country and no 
one gets turned away. When that happens, DHS's own numbers have 
estimated that when that occurs, they estimate that they will see a 
million people surge through the border in 6 weeks--6 weeks.
  So what is happening on interior enforcement? Well, at the border 
right now, they are allowing a quarter million people to cross the 
border, turning half of them away, but their plan is, next week, they 
are going to stop turning anyone away. Everyone is going to cross in.
  How many people are being deported? Criminal aliens, individuals that 
have a final order of removal from a court, how is that going? Well, 
currently, under this administration, we have a record low number of 
deportations that are happening. While we have 7,800 people a day 
illegally crossing the border, ICE is now deporting 203 people a day 
from the Nation.
  So let me run those numbers past you again: 7,800 people a day 
illegally crossing the border, 203 people being turned around due to 
ICE custody and releasing them back into their country where they came 
from.
  Now, these aren't folks just from Central America. In fact, now about 
half of the people coming are not from Mexico or Central America. They 
are coming from all over the world. Last year, we had people from every 
single country on the planet illegally cross the border in the 2 
million people that crossed the border. They came from every single 
country in the world--yes, including Iran and North Korea, all of it.
  But this administration is now working towards next week saying we 
are going to lift title 42 authority, and we are not going to turn 
anyone around.
  Currently, what is happening? When individuals come across the 
border, they are given notification. They will request for asylum, all 
they have to say is, ``I have credible fear.'' They will say, ``What 
city would you like to go to in the entire U.S.? You can go to any city 
you want to go to.'' They pick their city, they are given a piece of 
paper, and on that piece of paper, they are told here is your court 
date 8 years in the future--8 years in the future. And they go anywhere 
they want to in the country for the next 8 years.
  And they are told to keep that piece of paper with them. If they are 
ever pulled over, they can pull it out and show: I am awaiting my court 
date. I am here for the next 8 years.
  Now, let me ask you a simple question: If I have to go through the 
legal process to be able to get a visa or a work visa and go through 
all of that process and fill out paperwork, or--and I will be here just 
temporarily for a season, or I can illegally cross the border and I 
will be here for the next 8 years, which would you pick?
  This administration is literally incentivizing this and encouraging 
more people to illegally cross the border. Is there a way to be able to 
handle this? Yes, there is. Some of it is overly simplistic, I 
understand. Let's start with finish building the wall system because 
there are gaps in the fence and everyone heads towards those gaps in 
the fence.

  I am not the only one saying that. The career professionals at Border 
Patrol are saying that is one of the prime things that they need.
  Do they say that is the only thing they need? No. There is a lot more 
they need, but they are saying that is a really important element that 
they need is that fencing. That slows people down; that funnels people 
towards gaps. Build a wall system.
  No. 2, don't lift title 42, keep it in place. I am not the only one 
saying that. I had an ambassador from a Central American country 
contact me this week and say: We are asking the White House not to lift 
title 42 authority because, in Central America, we are facing thousands 
of people migrating through our country from all over the world that 
are headed to the United States, and it is causing economic turmoil in 
their country. And their fear is, if President Biden lifts title 42 
authority, it is going to make a bad situation in their country even 
worse.
  And while President Biden talks about root causes in Central America, 
Central America is telling the United States: Enforce your border; stop 
incentivizing people to illegally travel to your border; that is one of 
the root causes of migration.
  Finish building the wall system. Don't lift title 42 authority. Have 
cooperative agreements with other countries. This has been done by 
multiple Presidents before to be able to have engagement with other 
countries so that they enforce their border. And I don't mean just say 
to them: Go enforce your border. Help them. If they don't enforce their 
southern border and their southern border and their southern border, it 
all piles up here, and right now, the Biden administration is just 
letting them all in.
  Asylum hearings: Individuals that request asylum are legally bound to 
actually have asylum. There is lots of changes that need to happen in 
asylum laws, but let me just say this simply. This administration right 
now with current asylum laws could do last in, first up for hearings. 
Instead of handing people a piece of paper and say, You are here for 
the next 8 years until the next asylum hearing if you cross the border 
illegally right now, they say, you have to stay right here at the 
border for the next 2 weeks; your hearing is in 2 weeks, and it is in 
that courtroom right over there here at the border.
  They go through the legal process to be able to request asylum. When 
they do not qualify, they are returned. That sends an entirely 
different signal--because what the Border Patrol tells me now is, when 
individuals cross the border, get a piece of paper that says you are 
going to be here for the next 8 years, they quickly pull out their cell 
phone, snap a picture of it, text their family back home and say: I 
paid this cartel member, I crossed at this spot, I said these words, 
and I got this piece of paper; come join me. And the next person comes, 
and the next person comes.
  If what happens instead when they cross the border is they get there 
and their hearing is in 2 weeks and then they find out they don't 
qualify for asylum and they are returned, they instead text their 
family members and say: Don't come. The border is closed.
  Nothing has changed at that point other than the enforcement. That 
can be done right now.
  Fourth, Federal courts have required the Biden administration to put 
what is called MPP or what some people call ``Remain in Mexico'' back 
in place. So the Biden administration, following the court order, has 
spent millions of dollars standing up facilities, putting up 
courtrooms, and they are putting almost no one through them, so they 
can tell the Federal court they are doing it.
  What do I mean by that? I mean 7,800 people crossing a day illegally, 
the Biden administration is putting about 2,000 people a month through 
the MPP process simply so they can say they followed the court order, 
but they are not.
  So 7,800 people a day and they are doing 2,000 a month through MPP. 
That is decorative; that is not border enforcement. It is why I tell 
people the Biden administration is getting in illegal immigration 
exactly what they designed the system to do: to have more people come.
  Finally, deport people that a court has ruled they should be 
deported--this does not mean this is following the law.
  We have literally thousands of people in the United States that a 
Federal court has ruled a final order of removal on individuals and 
said: You are not legal in this country, and you have gone through all 
of the process; you need to be removed. Currently, ICE is not removing 
them. Again, sending the signal to everyone that wants to come here 
illegally that if you pay the cartels, you get across. You stay for 8 
years, and then after 8 years, no one is looking for you.
  That is why we had 2 million people last year illegally crossing the 
border. That is why we had a quarter million people last month 
illegally cross the border, because this administration just keeps 
saying, I don't want to be mean. We are going to open this up.
  We are not asking for something crazy. We are just asking for the law 
to be enforced.

[[Page S2577]]

  What is mean? What is inhumane? I will tell you what is inhumane. In 
February of this year, Reuters did a story on a young girl named 
Amelia. Amelia borrowed $10,000 to pay the smugglers from Guatemala to 
be able to cross into the United States in Arizona. She borrowed 
$10,000 from the human traffickers.
  She got across the border. She was referred to the HHS Office of 
Refugee Resettlements, unaccompanied minors, after crossing. That is 
right, Amelia is under 18. So HHS processed her through, moved her into 
the location that she had as a piece of paper to say this is the 
location I need to go. She traveled to that location and got to that 
spot, and HHS said: Our duty is done.
  When Reuters found her, she was working on a poultry processing farm 
in rural Alabama with her sister Rosa. When they asked her why she 
wasn't in school, she responded: School isn't for me; I have debt--
because she is working in a poultry processing facility in Alabama to 
pay off the cartel's $10,000--she and her sister both.
  She also, by the way, paid $1,500 to get a false Social Security card 
and a false ID, and she is working to pay off that debt as well.
  While the administration continues to call this humane and leadership 
of CBP calls this orderly this week, I don't think it is humane or 
orderly for us to open up our borders to individuals being trafficked 
into our own country to pay cartels $10,000 a person that then they 
come into this country and work their debt off in labor camps for the 
cartel.
  By the way, for Amelia and for her sister Rosa, this story can be 
repeated all over again with multiple individuals who pay off their 
debt to the cartels by trafficking in illicit materials because the 
cartel will say: If you took the loan out from us, you pay us back our 
way.
  That is what we are facilitating in America, and all we are asking 
the Biden administration to do is enforce the law. That is what it 
means to be President of the United States.
  I yield the floor.

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