[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 193 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H9695-H9696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CRISIS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Malliotakis) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the 
deadly consequences of President Biden's open borders.
  In the last month, three Border Patrol agents have committed suicide, 
bringing the total number of agents who have sadly taken their own 
lives to 14 this year. That tragically adds to the 35 who have been 
killed in the line of duty in 2021.

[[Page H9696]]

  With President Biden tying the hands of our agents and enabling 
lawlessness at our border, morale among the force has been crushed to 
an unthinkable low--so low, in fact, that the CBP has hired a 
suicidologist to help prevent further loss among its force.
  Our CBP agents are overwhelmed, overworked, underfunded, and they are 
demoralized. They put their lives on the line every day to defend our 
Nation's borders while receiving no support from the top levels of our 
government.
  In fact, the President says that there are more important things 
going on.
  It should not come as a shock that so many are at wit's end.
  While some have taken their own lives, many others have been 
seriously injured or have made the ultimate sacrifice while on the 
front lines.
  In April, 22-year-old Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans 
was swept away in the Rio Grande while attempting to save two migrants 
from drowning. We later found out that the two he sacrificed his life 
for were actually attempting to traffic illegal narcotics.
  Just last week, a 38-year-old father of two, CBP Agent Raul Humberto 
Gonzalez was killed in an ATV crash while chasing a group of migrants 
illegally crossing the border.
  Perhaps if the cartels were not allowed free rein on our border to 
smuggle drugs and to traffic humans, Specialist Bishop Evans and Agent 
Gonzalez would be with us today.
  No one has benefited more from this country's lax open border 
policies than the cartels. The Drug Enforcement Agency has told us that 
up to 70 to 80 percent of fentanyl in the United States comes into our 
country over the southern border. We know the vast majority of fentanyl 
is being manufactured in China and brought into our country over the 
southern border straight into American cities poisoning our youth.

  The Drug Enforcement Agency is telling us that is where it is coming 
from, yet we continue to have an open border policy, and this body 
refuses to act to secure our border.
  Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death of 18-to 45-year-olds 
in the United States, killing 100,000 Americans last year alone; three-
quarters of those deaths are from fentanyl. One American dies every 7 
minutes from this deadly drug streaming over our open border, and by 
the time I finish this speech, there will be one more American lost.
  Our babies are dying. Last month, San Francisco firefighters had to 
use Narcan to save the life of a 10-month-old baby boy who came into 
contact with fentanyl while playing in a park. In May, a 3-year-old in 
California died from a fentanyl overdose, and in November of last year, 
so did a 1-year-old child in Connecticut. In the last 3 months, there 
have been two fatal fentanyl exposures in western Washington State 
involving children no older than 2 years old.
  The fact that our babies are overdosing on this poison should alarm 
every single person in this Chamber. The silence from many of those on 
the other side of the aisle and the Biden administration is, quite 
frankly, sickening. And if you hear anything at all, they tell you that 
the border is secure--a complete lie.
  Biden's open borders have created full-blown national security, 
public safety, and humanitarian crises in the United States, not only 
for our law enforcement and constituents but for the migrants as well.
  In fact, fiscal year 2022 was the deadliest year ever recorded for 
migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully with 853 
migrant deaths. Many drowned in the Rio Grande. They perished due to 
dehydration from battling extreme heat and difficult terrain or taken 
deadly falls while climbing border barriers.
  In June, 53 migrants were found dead in San Antonio after being 
abandoned in a tractor trailer without air-conditioning or water. In 
September, a migrant mother of two committed suicide in a New York City 
homeless shelter. Her 15-year-old son discovered her body. Think about 
the consequences he will have for the rest of his life.
  Some have accused the Republicans who want to secure our borders of 
being uncompassionate. The greatest humanitarian crisis in our country 
is unfolding right before our eyes, and I urge our colleagues and our 
President to work with us to take action to secure it.

                          ____________________