[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 10, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H22-H23]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              REGAINING OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF OUR BORDER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Kim) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I visited the southern border 
last week in Eagle Pass, Texas, to see the situation at our border 
firsthand and to hear from Border Patrol, landowners, judges, and 
community members on how this is impacting them.
  This was my fourth border visit since I have been in Congress. The 
crisis at our border is worse than ever.
  Just last month, CBP reported 302,000 illegal crossings. That is 
enough people to fill out the Anaheim Angel Stadium nearly seven times 
over, just from one month.
  I heard from Border Patrol who said they are spreading themselves 
thin as we see more crossings. They have become caretakers instead of 
devoting their time to handling the backlog of illegal migrants or 
working to protect our border.
  The border facilities are expensive. In fact, the Del Rio and Eagle 
Pass facilities alone cost $25 million to maintain every month. This 
doesn't include the salaries of Border Patrol agents.
  I heard from county leaders who said that every week they perform 
autopsies on dead migrants found at the border. The price that both 
migrants and our communities pay is staggering.

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  Meanwhile, we have some reports of the Biden administration storing 
unused physical barriers and technologies at taxpayers' expense that 
could be used to help secure our border.
  The numbers are startling, and the stories are heartbreaking. As a 
mother, grandmother, and immigrant who came here legally as a young 
girl, seeing these migrants being exploited by cartels breaks my heart.
  Let me be clear, there is nothing fair, humane, or compassionate 
about the Biden administration's border policies. In fact, the Biden 
administration and DHS Secretary Mayorkas' open border policies have 
only emboldened cartels, giving them $32 million a week profit. While 
cartels line their pockets and funnel fentanyl into our streets and our 
schools, Americans are endangered, and our Border Patrol is overworked 
and overwhelmed.
  Sadly, this has undermined the legal immigration process and all 
those who have been waiting and playing by the rules.
  This year, marks 100 years of the U.S. Border Patrol. Let's do right 
by these brave men and women who have dangerous and demanding jobs and 
give them the tools they need to protect us.
  Mr. Speaker, I introduced a bipartisan border strategy bill to gain 
operational control of our southern border, and I am committed to do my 
part in being part of the solution here. The Biden administration must 
come to the table and do the same.


     Thanking Mike Markus for his Dedication to the Water District

  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank the Orange 
County Water District general manager, Mike Markus, for his dedicated 
service to the water district and to ensuring access to clean water for 
our Orange County communities and residents.
  During his impressive 35-year career, Mike managed the implementation 
of the Groundwater Replenishment System program, which has become the 
largest potable reuse project in the world with a capacity to hold 
enough water for 1 million people.
  Mike has received many notable and well-deserved awards for his work, 
including most recently the USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil and 
Environmental Engineering 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.

  He has been a great resource to me and my office and I appreciate his 
partnership in supporting our communities. It has been a great 
privilege to work with his son, Dan, who is the staff director on the 
House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mike for everything, and I wish him a very 
wonderful and successful retirement.

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