[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 190 (Wednesday, December 7, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H8807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AT OUR BORDER

  (Mr. FLOOD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. FLOOD. Mr. Speaker, I want to focus a light today on the ongoing 
humanitarian crisis unfolding at our southern border. This week, 
President Biden once again refused to visit the border saying: ``There 
are more important things going on.''
  It is no surprise the President doesn't want to go to the border 
because he would have to confront the crisis that his rhetoric and 
policies have created.
  Unlike the President, I have visited the border. During my visit, one 
thing became crystal clear: his catch-and-release policies have 
dramatically escalated the crisis. Law enforcement told me about how 
coyotes bring women and children across the border trafficking and 
sexually abusing them along the journey.
  Data underscores the impact that President Biden's rhetoric has had. 
CBP reports show that Southwest land border encounters have increased 
almost fivefold in 2 years.
  I have a message to the President: It is time to address the border 
crisis. It is time to stop the drug and human trafficking. And it is 
time, Mr. President, to finish the wall and reinstate the policies to 
remain in Mexico.

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