[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 76 (Thursday, May 4, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            BORDER SECURITY

  Mr. HOEVEN. Madam President, I thank my colleague from Maryland and 
appreciate the opportunity to make my remarks before this session ends 
today.
  I rise to once again call attention to the growing and unprecedented 
crisis at our southern border. This crisis is a result of the Biden 
administration's open border policy. It is a function of the Biden 
administration's failure to secure the border and enforce our laws.
  In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the CBP, 
encountered almost 2.4 million individuals attempting to illegally 
cross the southern border. That was an increase of 37 percent from 
fiscal year 2021 and a more than 400-percent increase from fiscal year 
2020. In the first 6 months of fiscal year 2023, Customs and Border 
Protection had already--already--encountered more than 1.5 million 
individuals--a pace that will surpass even the record numbers of last 
year.
  Now, with the title 42 public health order set to expire next week, 
it is only getting worse. Take a look. Anybody can turn on their 
television and check it out. It is only getting worse.
  In response to the expected surge of illegal crossings, the Biden 
administration announced that they are going to send 1,500 troops to 
the southern border to help with paperwork. Well, it is good they are 
sending the troops down there, but without a change in the policy, it 
is not going to get the job done. They are not able to do the job that 
they can do and need to do. The Customs and Border Protection officers 
and agents on the frontlines do the best job possible, but they face an 
impossible task given the Biden administration's actions that continue 
to exacerbate the crisis--the Biden administration's open border 
policy.
  I have seen firsthand the work of these dedicated individuals, 
including of the members of the North Dakota National Guard from my 
home State. I have traveled down to Texas on numerous occasions to draw 
attention to the border crisis. I have been to Del Rio. I have been to 
Eagle Pass. I have been to El Paso and to the Rio Grande Valley. In 
each of these border towns, it is clear now more than ever that more 
needs to be done. And it is not just the stopping of illegal migration; 
it is to prevent human trafficking and to prevent drug trafficking. 
This affects every State in our country.
  I also traveled with a bipartisan congressional delegation to Mexico, 
to Ecuador, to Colombia, and to Guatemala to outline the need to work 
with these nations to stop illegal immigration and prevent drug 
trafficking and human trafficking.
  These are all part of our efforts to draw attention to the problem 
and outline solutions that will stem the tide of illegal immigration.
  To stop this crisis, the Biden administration has to change its 
policy, and there are several things that can be done right now to make 
that happen.
  First, the Biden administration needs to implement the Migrant 
Protection Protocols or the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy, which requires 
people seeking asylum at our southern border to wait in Mexico while 
their cases are adjudicated.
  Second, reinstate the safe third country agreements, which require 
individuals coming from places like El Salvador or Honduras or 
Guatemala to seek asylum in their own countries first or they are 
returned to their countries to await the outcome of their claims.
  Now, title 42 expires on May 11. The border is already in crisis, and 
it will just get worse, but the reality is, if those two policies are 
reinstated, then the Customs and Border Protection professionals can 
get on top of the problem. In other words, let them do their jobs. Put 
in place border policies that will enable our Customs and Border 
Protection professionals to do their jobs.
  It has been shown that those policies will work. I just gave you the 
numbers going back to 2020. We are not guessing on this. We are not 
guessing. We know it works. Those two policy changes will enable our 
Customs and Border Protection professionals to get control of the 
border, and with title 42 expiring on May 11, they need to be 
implemented now.
  We have to do more. We need our border wall. We need personnel. We 
need technology. All those things need to be part of creating a secure 
border. But right now, particularly with title 42 expiring, we need to 
implement those two policy changes and enable our Customs and Border 
Protection professionals to do their job.
  Border security is national security.
  With that, I yield the floor.

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