[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 121 (Thursday, July 25, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4919-H4930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   STRONGLY CONDEMNING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND ITS BORDER CZAR, 
      KAMALA HARRIS'S, FAILURE TO SECURE THE UNITED STATES BORDER

  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 
1376, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 1371) strongly condemning the 
Biden Administration and its Border Czar, Kamala Harris's, failure to 
secure the United States border, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1376, the 
resolution, as amended, is considered read.
  The text of the resolution, as amended, is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1371

       Whereas, on March 24, 2021, President Biden tasked Vice 
     President Kamala Harris with working to address illegal 
     immigration into the United States, including ``root 
     causes'', and came to be known colloquially as the Biden 
     administration's ``border czar'';
       Whereas it took Vice President Kamala Harris 93 days as the 
     border czar before finally visiting the southern border on 
     June 25, 2021;
       Whereas when Vice President Kamala Harris traveled near the 
     southern border for the first time on June 25, 2021, she 
     decided to travel to El Paso, Texas, 800 miles away from the 
     lower Rio Grande;
       Whereas former United States Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz 
     stated that during his two years in the position, ``I've 
     never had one conversation with the president [Biden] or the 
     vice president [Harris], for that matter. I was the Chief of 
     the Border Patrol, I commanded 21,000 people. That's a 
     problem.'';
       Whereas current United States Border Patrol Chief Jason 
     Owens stated that Vice President Kamala Harris has not spoken 
     with him since he was appointed in July 2023;
       Whereas, since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office, 
     there have been over 9.7 million illegal immigrant encounters 
     nationwide;
       Whereas, since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office, 
     there have been over 7.9 million illegal immigrant encounters 
     at the United States southern border;
       Whereas, since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office, 
     there have been roughly 2 million known gotaways who evaded 
     the United States Border Patrol;
       Whereas this number represents more known gotaways than in 
     the previous decade combined;
       Whereas, in May 2024, there were 170,723 illegal immigrant 
     encounters at the United States southern border, a 185 
     percent increase from the average May encounter total under 
     President Trump;
       Whereas May 2024 was the 39th straight month where monthly 
     illegal immigrant encounters have been higher than even the 
     highest month seen under President Trump;
       Whereas illegal immigrants with violent criminal histories 
     who have murdered innocent Americans like Laken Riley, 
     Jocelyn Nungary, Rachel Morin, and others throughout the 
     United States, pose an existential threat to the safety and 
     security of the American people;
       Whereas, in June 2024, NBC News reported that over 400 
     illegal immigrants with ties to an ISIS-affiliated smuggling 
     network entered the United States under Border Czar Harris's 
     leadership, and that the whereabouts of over 50 of these 
     individuals were unknown;
       Whereas, under Border Czar Harris's leadership, multiple 
     illegal aliens with terrorist ties have been released into 
     the United States;
       Whereas, to date in fiscal year 2024, there have been a 
     record-breaking 31,077 Chinese nationals encountered at the 
     southwest border;
       Whereas the Biden border crisis is costing the United 
     States approximately $150.7 billion each year and each 
     taxpayer $1,156 each year;
       Whereas, in April 2024, Republicans on the House Committee 
     on Homeland Security released documents showing the Biden 
     administration, under Border Czar Harris, flew at

[[Page H4920]]

     least 400,000 illegal immigrants into the country through the 
     abuse of parole programs; and
       Whereas President Biden's and Border Czar Harris's far left 
     Democrat open border policies are to blame for this historic 
     crisis, and in August 2022, Biden and his administration 
     decided to make the border crisis significantly worse by 
     formally ending former President Trump's successful Remain in 
     Mexico program: Now, therefore, be it
         Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
         (1) strongly condemns the Biden Administration and its 
     Border Czar, Kamala Harris's, failure to secure the United 
     States border;
         (2) affirms that the American people deserve elected 
     officials who understand the gravity of the crisis at the 
     border and who will execute the policies to fix the border 
     crisis; and
         (3) clearly and firmly states that the continuation of 
     the Biden, Harris border policies would be disastrous for 
     both the United States and the American people.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution, as amended, shall be 
debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
ranking minority member of the Committee of Homeland Security or their 
respective designees.
  The gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Green) and the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Green).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 1371.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On July 25, 2024, on page H4920, in the first column, the 
following appeared: marks and include extraneous material on H. 
Res. 1376.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: marks and include 
extraneous material on H. Res. 1371.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on March 24, 2021, President Joe Biden announced to the 
American people that he tasked Vice President Kamala Harris to ``lead 
our efforts'' to address the ``root causes'' of the border by working 
with Mexico and Central America to stem the flow of illegal border 
crossings at the Southwest border.
  However, since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, 
CBP has recorded more than 9.6 million encounters nationwide, and this 
number continues to rapidly increase.
  Over 200,000 Americans have died from the fentanyl flooding across 
our open border. Precious lives like those of Laken Riley, Rachel 
Morin, and Jocelyn Nungaray have been brutally taken by illegal aliens 
who have been released.
  We have been told that Vice President Harris' job was to find the 
root causes of the crisis. Turns out to do so, she could have just 
looked in the mirror.
  Now, it would be charitable to say that Vice President Harris is 
completely out of her depth when it comes to securing the border. The 
fact is, she has a long track record of opposing border security and 
immigration enforcement, whether as a Senator, a Presidential 
candidate, or as Joe Biden's ``border czar.''
  For example, then-Senator Harris advocated abolishing Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement. She proudly boasted that she would introduce 
legislation to reduce the number of ICE detention beds, and she also 
advocated for doing away with private detention facilities. She called 
construction of the new border wall system ``a stupid use of money.'' 
She opposed the use of title 42 during the COVID-19 pandemic. She even 
once compared ICE to the KKK.
  In her short-lived campaign for President in 2019, Vice President 
Harris declared during one debate that she supported decriminalizing 
illegal border crossings. According to her campaign website, 
longstanding, bipartisan border security policies were ``cruel and out 
of control.''
  As Vice President, her track record has been just as dismal. Let's 
first recognize that many of the very policies she supported as a 
Senator, including cutting ICE beds, ending border wall construction, 
and ending title 42, became a reality after she took office.
  Further, despite being President Biden's border czar, after saying 
border visits were just grand gestures, she has only made one trip to 
the Southwest border, all the way back in June 2021, in what Texas 
Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar called a politically safe, 
check-the-box visit. She has not been back since.
  Just this week, it was reported that she has never spoken with 
current Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens or his predecessor, Chief Raul 
Ortiz. This belies absolute dereliction of her responsibility to secure 
the border.
  This longtime extremist has run point on ending the Biden 
administration's self-inflicted border crisis, and it shows.
  Vice President Harris has also lied to the American people repeatedly 
about the crisis she helped to create. In June 2022, she falsely 
claimed on national television: ``The border is secure. . . . We have a 
secure border, in that that is a priority for any nation, including 
ours, and our administration.'' She also helped spread the vicious lies 
about mounted Border Patrol agents in Del Rio, Texas, slandering and 
maligning them for just doing their jobs.
  Now, given how bad the border is for them politically, our friends on 
the left are suddenly aghast that we are again referring to the Vice 
President as the border czar. However, back in March 2021, even the 
corporate media were describing her role with this title, which, as we 
all remember from the Obama years, simply means a government official 
tasked with the responsibility for a particular policy issue.
  Now that Vice President Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee 
for President, we have watched our colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle get defensive about it because they know they cannot possibly 
defend her disastrous handling of the border crisis she was supposed to 
end.
  Vice President Harris is an extreme, dishonest, open-borders radical. 
That is why President Biden entrusted her with this role. She owns all 
of his failed border policies and the horrific consequences that have 
resulted from them. Americans know it, and I am glad that this Congress 
will acknowledge it, too.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the Vice President.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this unserious and 
politically motivated resolution.
  It is sad that today we are wasting time on this pointless 
resolution, which is nothing more than a campaign press release, rather 
than addressing real problems facing the American people, but a do-
anything resolution is right in line with this do-nothing Congress.

  The House is about to go on vacation for 6 weeks, having delivered 
only political resolutions, not solutions, for the American people.
  In fact, my Republican colleagues are so eager to campaign, they are 
starting the August recess a week early and rushing to the floor with 
this press release disguised as a resolution before they head for the 
exits.
  Let's make no mistake: This resolution is only before this body 
because Vice President Harris will be the Democratic nominee for 
President.
  Testing new campaign messaging, though, is not a good use of the 
House's time, yet that is all this resolution offers. It changes 
absolutely nothing. It does not even pretend to change anything.
  I am sure the American people would rather us use our time to fund 
the government, but my Republican colleagues can't seem to agree among 
themselves about that.
  Instead, here we are, debating H. Res. 1371, a second-rate attempt at 
election interference. Perhaps it is also an ethics violation since my 
Republican colleagues are blatantly using House resources for campaign 
purposes, and like so much other campaign literature, this political 
resolution is premised on falsehoods and supported by cherry-picked 
statistics.
  The resolution would have you believe President Biden and Vice 
President Harris inherited an impenetrable southern border from the 
former administration. This is just not true. The cruel and inhumane 
policies of the

[[Page H4921]]

Trump administration did not deter irregular migration.
  It took a worldwide shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to 
temporarily reduce the ever-increasing numbers of desperate people 
seeking freedom, safety, and opportunity in the United States. When 
global pandemic-era restrictions eased, worldwide migration increased. 
The United States is far from alone in facing this challenge.
  When President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, they 
reversed terrible Trump-era policies that separated children from their 
parents and put children in cages.
  The Biden-Harris administration has also increased enforcement, 
deployed more border surveillance equipment, and sped up immigration 
processing. The administration is removing and returning more people 
and implementing tough new policies that have cut the number of border 
crossers by more than half over the last 7 weeks alone.

                              {time}  0930

  Vice President Harris, in particular, has worked to address the root 
causes of migration, especially from El Salvador, Guatemala, and 
Honduras. Improving conditions in Northern Triangle countries means 
fewer people feel compelled to make the journey to the U.S.
  We have seen results. Since Vice President Harris was given this 
task, Customs and Border Protection's encounters with Central American 
migrants have declined by more than 70 percent.
  Furthermore, under Vice President Harris' leadership, the 
administration has also reinforced partnerships with countries in the 
region, and even around the world, to increase enforcement and share 
information.
  Mexico, for the first time ever, has agreed to accept the return of 
Venezuelans and Cubans. Under the former President, we struggled to 
remove migrants from these countries from the United States.
  There are also more visa requirements to enter the Western Hemisphere 
now, making the journey that much more difficult. This administration 
has recognized that migration is no longer regional but global and has 
taken action.
  Mr. Speaker, you will notice that nowhere in my remarks have I 
referred to the Vice President as a so-called border czar like this 
flawed resolution does. That is because such a position does not exist.
  The authors of this resolution cannot point to a single 
administration document that names the Vice President the ``border 
czar.'' That is because such documents do not exist.
  Even news organizations, like Axios, that referred to Vice President 
Harris as a so-called border czar have posted corrections and 
clarifications. That is because border czar is simply not her role.
  I would like to read from President Biden's March 2021 remarks 
describing Vice President Harris' duties. ``The Vice President has 
agreed, among the multiple other things that I have her leading--and I 
appreciate it--agreed to lead our diplomatic effort and work with those 
nations to accept the returnees and enhanced migration enforcement at 
their borders.''
  The Vice President's role is diplomatic. It is about leading 
partnerships with foreign countries. It is not about overseeing the 
Border Patrol or ICE. That is Secretary Mayorkas' job, and he said as 
much in testimony before the Homeland Security Committee.
  The border czar title is a work of fiction created by overactive 
Republican imaginations and the media, and this resolution is premised 
on that fiction.
  Furthermore, this resolution is incredibly petty because Republicans 
struggle to quick squeeze anything of substance into it. It criticizes 
the Vice President, who was directed to focus on diplomatic 
engagements, for waiting 3 months to visit the southern border. 
Republicans then take issue with where she chose to go along the 
southern border. Vice President Harris went to Texas, just not the part 
of Texas Republicans thought she should go.
  The resolution also criticizes the Vice President for failing to make 
direct outreach to U.S. Border Patrol chiefs. Again, she was not tasked 
with overseeing the Border Patrol. Secretary Mayorkas, their actual 
boss, speaks to the U.S. Border Patrol regularly.
  Furthermore, H. Res. 1371 only includes border encounter statistics 
through May of this year, conveniently failing to include a nearly 30 
percent decrease in encounters between ports of entry in June.
  The resolution also conveniently fails to mention that since early 
last month, DHS has removed or returned more than 65,000 border 
crossers to more than 125 countries. In the past year, DHS has removed 
or returned the most people since 2010. That includes more removals to 
countries other than Mexico than in any other prior year ever.
  Mr. Speaker, the House has better things to do than adopt pointless, 
false, and politically driven, nonbinding resolutions. Perhaps, for 
example, it could legislate on border security in a bipartisan fashion 
as the Senate tried to do; that is, before former President Trump told 
his MAGA allies to run away from the negotiating table so he could run 
on border security on the campaign trail.
  As much as my Republican colleagues talk about the threats from our 
border, they don't want to seem to do anything about it. Taking action 
is bad politics for them, so we get political resolutions rather than 
solutions.
  In fact, under Republican control, the 118th Congress has little to 
show for itself. Indeed, it is among the least productive in history. 
Maybe House Republicans are simply biding their time because they think 
they can implement their Project 2025 agenda next year.
  This do-nothing resolution is out to test-drive political talking 
points rather than change the sorry trajectory of this do-nothing 
Congress.
  Before I reserve, Mr. Speaker, I want to note that this is the first 
time the Homeland Security Committee has come to the floor since the 
passing of my dear friend, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who was a 
senior member of the committee. Congresswoman Jackson Lee cared 
passionately about border security and a humane immigration system that 
reflected American values. We will miss her bold, distinctive voice 
during today's debate, which we all know that she would have 
participated in with trademark tenacity.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this thinly veiled 
attempt as a political attack, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time she may 
consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik), the esteemed 
Republican Conference Chair and the author of this resolution.
  Ms. STEFANIK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to condemn Vice President Kamala 
Harris for her failed and dangerous policies as Joe Biden's border czar 
that caused the most catastrophic border crisis in modern history.
  No matter what congressional district you go to, the number one issue 
facing Americans is Kamala Harris' open-border crisis. By every metric, 
Kamala Harris has failed to secure our borders and has been instead 
advancing far-left Democrats' failed open-border policies and the needs 
of illegal immigrants over the safety of Americans.

  This resolution condemns Kamala Harris' role as Joe Biden's open-
border czar and affirms that the American people deserve elected 
officials who understand the gravity of the crisis at the border and 
who will work to secure the border.
  Now, Democrats will try to run from this record, but they cannot 
hide. Joe Biden's open-border czar Kamala Harris, and every elected 
Democrat, is responsible for this border crisis, along with every other 
aspect of Joe Biden's failed and feckless record which brought not only 
the border crisis but skyrocketing Bidenflation, surging violent 
crimes, chaos, and weakness around the world.
  We all remember the widely publicized delegation that Vice President 
Kamala Harris conducted and led, saying: ``Do not come. Do not come.'' 
Millions of illegals poured into our country since then because of 
Kamala Harris' and Joe Biden's administration's unconstitutional, 
illegal executive actions wiping away President Trump's effective 
border security policies which created the most secure border in modern 
history. The American people know that.

[[Page H4922]]

  In fact, just last month, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
announced there were over 130,000 illegal immigrant encounters at our 
southern border in June. This is roughly 4,300 illegal encounters at 
our southern border a day, which is four times more than the definition 
of a crisis set by Obama's DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson.
  So far this fiscal year, there have been 93 individuals whose names 
appear on the terrorist watch list who were stopped trying to enter the 
U.S. illegally between ports of entry at the southern border. That is 
over 500 since Kamala Harris was assigned the border-czar role.
  On our northern border, in the Swanton Sector, which I represent, I 
have seen firsthand, with the Border Patrol, the disastrous 
consequences of Kamala Harris' and Joe Biden's administration's failed, 
far-left open-border agenda which caused a historic surge in illegal 
crossings the likes of which we have never seen on our northern border 
before, including individuals on the terrorist watch list.
  This is not just a national security crisis. It is a humanitarian 
crisis. Under Kamala Harris' role as Joe Biden's border czar, nearly 
80,000 minors have been lost, left, slipped through the cracks. This is 
also part of the violent crime crisis surge concerning every single 
American.
  Look in upstate New York. A 21-year-old, innocent girl was killed by 
an illegal and buried in a Syracuse public park and a 15-year-old, 
innocent girl was raped by an illegal in Albany County, all because of 
Kamala Harris' failed policies as open-border czar.
  Make no mistake: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are to blame for this 
historic crisis. Their policies stopped the construction of the border 
wall, ended President Trump's remain in Mexico program, and released 
the largest number of illegals into the United States in history.
  Since Kamala Harris became the open-border czar, monthly encounters 
have surpassed even the highest month under President Trump and the 
number of illegals released into the country have skyrocketed.
  Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz stated that during his 2 
years in the position, he had never once spoken to Vice President 
Harris. Even worse, Vice President Harris has never even spoken with 
the current Border Patrol chief since he was appointed in July of 2023. 
This is unacceptable.
  The American people have had enough. They know that the only way to 
fix this historic crisis is by returning to President Trump's effective 
border security policies. That is why House Republicans passed H.R. 2, 
the strongest border security bill in history, the Secure the Border 
Act of 2023, that will put an end to this catastrophic border crisis 
caused by Joe Biden and his open-border czar, Kamala Harris.
  Kamala Harris has failed in overseeing American safety by refusing to 
secure the border. She has proved that she is unfit to lead, and I 
strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal).
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this 
resolution.
  Here we go again. The Republican majority made their appropriations 
bills so extreme that they can't pass the vast majority of them with 
votes from their own party. Instead, we are going to come here to the 
floor and waste our time as they politicize the work that we are doing 
here in Congress and use this time to attack the Vice President.

  They can't pursue their impeachment claims, their fake impeachment 
claims of Joe Biden, or any other number of people that they have 
targeted, because Joe Biden is no longer running for President. Now, 
they have got to quickly shift and instead use their time on this 
floor, where we are supposed to be doing official business, to attack 
Vice President Harris days after she is clearly going to be our 
Democratic nominee for President.
  Kamala Harris was never the border czar. She was never asked to 
address the situation at the border. She was asked to do something that 
MAGA extremists, who want quick fixes that they can give to FOX News, 
never want to focus on, and that is a real solution.
  She was narrowly tasked with developing agreements that could help 
bring government and private-sector investments to those countries that 
are sending migrants to the United States, so that those countries 
could help strengthen the conditions in those countries. She did so, 
most significantly in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
  She brought in billions from private-sector investments to support 
government funding for entrepreneurs, to ensure labor rights, to 
strengthen food security, and launch projects across those countries 
that invested in financial inclusion, healthcare, climate finance, and 
affordable housing. Those are the things that will keep migrants in 
their home countries.
  The only reason that Republicans are doing this today is to distract 
the American people from the fact that they still can't get anything 
done here on the House floor that will actually benefit the American 
people. It is no wonder. The leader of their party has been convicted 
on 34 felony counts and has a Trump Project 2025 agenda that will take 
total control over people's lives.

                              {time}  0945

  That agenda includes plans for mass deportations, including spouses 
and children of U.S. citizens, Dreamers, and essential workers and farm 
workers.
  Let's not forget that roughly 22 million people in America live in 
mixed-status families where at least one person is undocumented. When 
Donald Trump and Republicans are talking about mass deportations, they 
are talking about tearing apart American families.
  It doesn't end there. Trump's Project 2025 calls for the end of 
protections for Dreamers and family-based immigration. Attacking family 
unity comes as no surprise from the party that cruelly tore over 5,000 
kids from their moms and dads. Trump's Project 2025 also eliminates due 
process in the immigration system. It would deny people their day in 
court to make their case for protection under U.S. laws. Republicans 
have made it clear over and over again that they do not want to 
modernize our immigration system.
  Even the bill that was written by the second-most conservative 
Republican Senator in the U.S. Senate, Trump told them not to vote for 
it, so they didn't because they wanted to keep it out there as an 
election issue.
  Mr. Speaker, Republicans want to distract you from the fact that the 
Biden-Harris administration has been the most effective administration 
in my lifetime, investing in infrastructure and green jobs, taking on 
climate change, bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, and 
canceling student loan debt so people have more money in their pockets 
instead of allowing billionaires to profit off your pain.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Weber of Texas). The time of the 
gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 
seconds to the gentlewoman from Washington.
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Just today we heard that the economy grew by 2.8 percent 
in the second quarter showing extraordinary strength because of the 
policies that President Biden and Vice President Harris have put into 
place for this country.
  Don't be distracted, Mr. Speaker. Democrats want to protect your 
freedoms, uphold democracy, and give every American a real chance to 
succeed.
  Vote ``no'' on this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward nominees for the Office of the 
President.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran).
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Green for yielding.
  Today, I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 1371 introduced by 
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
  Each day, the failed policies of this administration become more 
glaring, and those who implemented the disastrous agenda leading to the 
current crisis at our border must absolutely be held accountable.
  Today, I give my strongest support to this resolution to ensure that 
Vice

[[Page H4923]]

President Kamala Harris is held responsible for her role in the 
administration's far-left open-border policies.
  As border czar, Vice President Harris has overseen the most 
catastrophic border crisis in our Nation's history. As we all know, the 
failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration have turned every 
State in the United States into a border State and led to a record 
level of illegal immigration, including from individuals on the 
terrorist watch list.
  We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. These failed policies 
are a direct assault on the sovereignty, the security, and the strength 
of the United States.
  Under Harris' watch and with her consent and her support, President 
Biden has issued more than 70 executive orders and policy changes that 
have brought about this border crisis, something unlike anything we 
have ever seen in our Nation's history.
  Illegal immigrants have had free run to abuse our system. Drugs like 
fentanyl have poured into our communities across our entire country, 
and individuals with ties to terrorism and to known adversaries of our 
great Republic have been turned loose inside the United States, 
including a record level number of Chinese Communist nationals. Because 
of that, Americans are suffering, and we are in danger.
  Despite this, Kamala Harris has visited our southern border just once 
since becoming border czar, and for that reason this resolution is 
important to hold her accountable for her role in this mess.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is an important part of that 
accountability, and, as such, I urge passage, and I urge all colleagues 
to lend it support.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman).
  Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the Republicans' desperate 
attempt to, yet again, use the official business of the House of 
Representatives to do the partisan, political bidding of Donald Trump.
  My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have spent most of this 
Congress wasting our time and taxpayer money on a bogus sham 
impeachment investigation of President Biden that yielded no evidence 
of wrongdoing, much less any high crime or misdemeanor.
  It was obvious that that phony effort was solely designed to provide 
election fodder for Trump in advance of November's election, and 
recently the chairman of the committee overseeing that investigation 
even admitted as much.
  Now that President Biden has selflessly and patriotically passed the 
torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, my colleagues on the other side 
of the aisle are scrambling to help Donald Trump's electoral chances by 
using our time here today on a blatantly false resolution about Vice 
President Harris.
  The title of this resolution is ``Strongly condemning the Biden 
administration and its Border Czar, Kamala Harris's, failure to secure 
the United States border.''
  There is one problem. There is no such thing as a border czar, nor 
was Vice President Harris ever named the border czar. The entire 
premise of this resolution is simply false.

  Not surprisingly, the resolution makes no mention of the border 
security bill that the Biden-Harris administration negotiated with 
Senate Republicans that would have comprehensively addressed the 
problems at the border, nor does it say anything about Donald Trump's 
decision to sabotage and kill that bipartisan bill because it would 
have solved the problems that this resolution complains about.
  Now, why did he do that?
  It is precisely because he wanted his minions in the House to 
introduce useless and deceptive resolutions like this one to help his 
campaign. While Republicans continue to play politics with the border, 
the Biden-Harris administration did not stop trying to solve the 
problems facing the administration. They used what limited authority 
they have to control the border, and it is working.
  This resolution cites statistics from May of 2024 that there were 
170,723 encounters at the border; however, the resolution does not 
include numbers from the next month, June of 2024, which cut encounters 
by more than one-half, to 83,536.
  While my Republican colleagues continue to put politics over 
solutions, this administration and House Democrats will continue to put 
people over politics to address the issues facing the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this false, inaccurate, 
and deceptive resolution.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz).
  Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, this is a subject that is very, very 
close to me and my community. I am on the border of Texas, over 80 
percent of my district being Hispanic.
  This is a resolution that I strongly support. In fact, in listening 
to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle where they say this is 
campaigning and politically motivated, not only am I deeply offended, 
but the American people are deeply offended by those comments.
  Why?
  It is because we are not rushing to recess to campaign. We are 
rushing to our districts to calm our communities down that very soon--
very soon--there will be a change in administration, there will be a 
change in political thought, and that we will have a President come 
January who will care about our borders and who will care about our 
national security.
  It is an insult to the American people that Kamala Harris and the 
Biden administration have not cared about our national security and 
that they have allowed millions of illegal immigrants to come to our 
border.
  Perhaps my colleague from Mississippi has not been to Eagle Pass, 
Texas, or Del Rio, Texas, and seen the kids. Let's talk about false 
claims here.
  Kids in cages?
  No, sir, there are no kids in cages.
  Let's talk about the kids who are missing in America who are sex 
trafficked. Let's talk about those kids under the Biden-Harris 
administration, but we forget about those thoughts.
  It is an insult of what I am hearing across the aisle about our 
border and the lack of national security that has been caused by the 
Biden-Harris administration.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Barragan).
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Thompson for 
yielding.
  We should be offended at the lies. We should be offended that the 
American people are being lied to.
  We should be offended that kids were separated from their parents and 
their families under the Republican Party and the Republican 
leadership. That is what the American people and they should be 
offended about.
  House Republicans are living in a land of make-believe when it comes 
to the record of Vice President Harris. We keep hearing the term over 
and over again, the lie that she was the border czar. Vice President 
Harris was never the administration's border czar. As a matter of fact, 
Republicans even know that because they had to change the resolution. 
There has never been such a position. It was invented by Republicans.
  Border security is the responsibility of Homeland Security Secretary 
Mayorkas. He has been to the border. He has met with the border chief. 
Republicans tried to impeach him, and they failed in the Senate. Now 
they have a desperate resolution to blame Vice President Harris for the 
border.
  Again, this was not the responsibility President Biden gave her. 
President Biden tasked the Vice President to address the root causes in 
the Northern Triangle countries of Central America that caused migrants 
to flee their home countries.
  While a lot of work remains, Vice President Harris got results. She 
announced an additional $310 million for humanitarian relief to address 
food insecurity for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. She led 
efforts on a private-public partnership that has secured commitments 
from the private sector to invest over $5 billion in the region to 
improve peoples' lives.
  She worked with the Department of Justice to launch the Task Force

[[Page H4924]]

Alpha to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking from the 
Northern Triangle countries. This task force led to over 220 
convictions of members of human trafficking organizations.
  Border crossings from migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, and El 
Salvador, the countries in Vice President Harris' root causes 
portfolio, have also decreased in recent years. In fiscal year 2023 the 
crossings from these Northern Triangle countries made up 22 percent of 
all crossings, down from 41 percent in 2021 when she started.
  This resolution also criticizes the administration for the number of 
border crossings and the encounters.
  Guess what, Mr. Speaker?
  Border crossings are lower today than when the Trump administration 
left office.
  Let me say that again: Border crossings are down at a lower level 
than when even the Trump administration left office, but that is not 
convenient for my colleagues across the aisle.
  Mr. Speaker, Republicans also fail to tell you the Republicans have 
refused to vote even on a border supplemental bill because former 
President Trump told them: Don't do it, we need this for an election 
year issue. Here we are on the House floor talking about this as a 
political issue.
  What Republicans also fail to tell you, Mr. Speaker, is that more 
Democrats have actually voted for funding for DHS and border security 
than Republicans.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 
seconds to the gentlewoman from California.
  Ms. BARRAGAN. This resolution does nothing to address the challenges 
at our southern border, and Republicans know that. They are not serious 
in addressing border security. This resolution is not about solutions, 
it is about politics.
  Democrats, including Vice President Harris, will continue our work to 
address the challenges everyday Americans face.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject these desperate tactics 
and this dishonest resolution.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1371, and I 
stand before you for the fourth time requesting that my State's former 
attorney general, former U.S. Senator, and now Vice President and 
candidate for President come to the border.
  Mr. Speaker, the other side will tell you she wasn't a border czar. I 
am going to tell you they didn't say she didn't have the border 
responsibility given to her by the President and dealing with the root 
causes, so to speak, when it happened. They are now revising history. 
You can't unring the bell. She was assigned it. She said she was going 
to do it, and she didn't come to the border.

                              {time}  1000

  I represent the district that has the most border crossings in 
America over the last two quarters. We had over 250,000 encounters just 
in the last year. Most importantly, 90 percent of the over 52,000 of 
what my colleagues call special interest aliens crossing the border 
since October 2023 entered from my district.
  These are Chinese. These are Russians. These are people who have come 
from countries where we cannot verify and cannot return.
  They are not just being encountered, but they are being brought into 
the country. They are being sent to New York. They are staying where 
they want to stay and doing what they want to do.
  That is what this administration has done for 4 years. In 4 years, 
our country has absorbed 10 million or more people as a result. Some 
were get-aways, 500,000 at a crack, per year. Some simply presented 
themselves and were automatically allowed in.
  This administration has not used the tools they claim to use. Now, in 
an election year, they want to unclaim their border czar, and they want 
to unclaim responsibility for an un-American activity, letting people 
into the country outside the intent of the law.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the resolution.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, if my Republican colleagues 
are worried about migrant children, I encourage them to look at policy 
solutions and to engage on a bipartisan bill, such as the Senate 
bipartisan border bill, where we can make real change. I encourage the 
majority to support this administration's effort to crack down on the 
employers who take advantage of these children.
  I encourage Republicans to take real action. This partisan resolution 
achieves nothing.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Kennedy).
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the border crisis, an issue my 
Republican colleagues are quick to pontificate on but refuse to 
address.
  At the heart of the matter are real people escaping extreme poverty, 
violence, natural disasters, and persecution. They are leaving their 
homes, their families, their culture, and their countries to do what 
many of our own ancestors did in order to seek a better life.
  What they experience in pursuit of the American Dream is nothing 
short of a nightmare. On their journey to the United States, they risk 
their lives traveling through treacherous terrain. They are vulnerable 
to everything from drug cartels to disease.
  Throughout our country and especially in border communities, the 
inpouring of migrants seeking asylum and immigrants is overwhelming 
hospitals, schools, and other social service providers.
  Instead of advancing solutions, Republicans in this House have 
resorted to blatantly obvious politics. Unfortunately, because this 
body has failed to deliver resources to our borders, tens of thousands 
of personnel have had to do more with less as the crisis worsens.
  In my district and other northern border communities, our Border 
Patrol officers and agents are being sent away from their posts in the 
north to meet the demands at the southern border, even as migration and 
illegal drug smuggling rises back home.
  The need to act could not be more dire.
  Earlier this year, a bipartisan coalition of United States Senators 
came together for the first time in decades to provide meaningful 
immigration reform. The bipartisan bill would invest in law enforcement 
with more than 2,000 new Border Patrol officers and other personnel to 
secure the border, speed up the processing of those seeking asylum, 
crack down on illegal drugs by investing in cutting-edge inspection 
machines for ports of entry, and improve the immigration system with 
4,300 new asylum officers and 100 more immigration judges.
  We have the solution. Extreme MAGA Republicans in this body declared 
it dead on arrival before even reading the bill. Instead of solving 
real problems, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle chose 
politics over people.
  We were sent here to do the opposite. We could be using this time to 
advance a bill that would improve the lives of Americans, those seeking 
asylum, and immigrants while strengthening security at the border and 
boosting our economy. Instead, we are wasting our time on this 
political stunt.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 
seconds to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, we are wasting our time on this political 
stunt, one that is both entirely transparent and, frankly, desperate. 
This is simply an attack on Vice President Kamala Harris for one 
reason: Her career is advancing, and extreme MAGA Republicans are 
shuddering.
  Since Democrats have rallied behind our nominee for President, 
extreme MAGA Republicans, fearful of a candidate running on the issues 
instead of a cult of personality, have rushed this emergency resolution 
to the floor of the House. It has no basis in fact or reality. That 
doesn't appear to bother my colleagues across the aisle.
  What they should be doing is bringing the bipartisan border bill to 
the floor for a vote. That is what the American public wants. That is 
what I urge my colleagues to do.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Yakym).

[[Page H4925]]

  

  Mr. YAKYM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution introduced 
by my colleague, Representative Stefanik.
  In March 2021, an Axios headline declared: ``Biden puts Harris in 
charge of border crisis.''
  According to this article: ``The first goal will be stemming the flow 
of illegal migrants to the U.S.''

  The chart next to me shows cumulative Southwest border encounters for 
the first 42 months of the last six Presidential terms. The red line 
represents the Biden-Harris administration. Look at the chart and ask 
yourself: How did Vice President Harris do as the person in charge of 
the border?
  In June 2021, Vice President Harris said: ``If you come to our 
border, you will be turned back.''
  Look at that chart and ask yourself if anyone took her warning 
seriously.
  In September 2022, Vice President Harris said: ``The border is 
secure.''
  Look at that chart and ask yourself if it was then or if it is now.
  Mr. Speaker, the Venn diagram of border security and the Biden-Harris 
administration are two separate circles.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gimenez).
  Mr. GIMENEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1371.
  Mr. Speaker, in March 2021, President Biden proclaimed Vice President 
Kamala Harris as our Nation's border czar. Yet, over the last 3\1/2\ 
years, it is unclear what work she has done, if any, to secure our 
borders.
  As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I traveled to the 
Darien Gap in Panama to witness the migrant crisis firsthand. I have 
also been to our southern border.
  This is a picture of me at the Darien Gap. Those folks there, that is 
thousands of migrants coming to the United States. This is 2 years 
after she was named the border czar.
  According to the CBP, before the Biden-Harris administration, there 
were less than 1 million encounters at the southern border annually. 
Since the border czar, Harris, has taken over, there have been nearly 8 
million illegal encounters at the southern border and nearly 2 million 
known got-aways. That is a total of almost 10 million people who have 
entered our country.
  The growing crisis has a direct impact on our border districts, like 
mine. Illegal migrant landings have increased in our State, 
particularly in our beloved Florida Keys. We have seen an increase in 
encounters of Chinese and other nationals.
  Our adversaries know that they can take advantage and exploit the 
open-border policies of the Biden-Harris administration. FBI Director 
Christopher Wray has testified that suspected terrorists have crossed 
the southern border and are unaccounted for in our country.
  The Biden-Harris open-border policies are a risk to every man, woman, 
and child living in America.
  Vice President Harris has proven herself incapable as border czar, 
and I know that the country cannot afford 4 more years of these 
disastrous policies.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this resolution.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much 
time is remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Tennessee has 11\1/2\ 
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Mississippi has 4\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne).
  Ms. VAN DUYNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this necessary rebuke of Vice 
President Kamala Harris' abject failure to do anything meaningful to 
secure the southern border and protect American citizens in her 
responsibility as border czar of the Biden-Harris administration.
  Since Harris was given this critically important national security 
role, control of our southern border has been handed over to ruthless 
and deadly Mexican cartels that were aided by policies and spending 
from this administration to engage in the most massive government-
sanctioned human-trafficking effort we have seen in American history.
  Indeed, because of the Vice President's staggering negligence and 
outright contempt of actually protecting our Nation, we have seen the 
largest amount of human slavery in America since before the Civil War. 
Children are sold as sex slaves. Others are forced to work at gunpoint 
in illegal marijuana farms. Tens of thousands of other illegal 
immigrants have simply gone missing because, once Biden and Harris 
traffic them to destinations across the country, they are dropped with 
people who are part of cartel human-trafficking rings.
  To make this worse, cartels operate gangs in virtually every part of 
America, which has led to increased domestic violence, rapes, murders, 
and more than 100,000 dead Americans because of fentanyl poisoning.
  Young women and children have been slaughtered in every State as a 
direct result of Vice President Harris' dereliction of duty, but we 
should not at all be surprised that the end goal for Vice President 
Harris was to drive this invasion, regardless of the chaos, pain, and 
loss of life on American citizens. After all, then-Presidential 
candidate Harris plainly stated that she wanted to decriminalize 
illegal immigration. She wanted to give free taxpayer-funded healthcare 
to illegal immigrants. She serves in a party that has openly stated 
that they want vast illegal immigration to help them with Census data, 
populating congressional districts, and holding on to electoral college 
power for failing liberal States.
  The long-term damage done and that is being done to America could be 
tracked directly back to Vice President Harris, and it is time that 
this House spoke clearly and definitively against her willful acts.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the Vice President.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Greene).
  Ms. GREENE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, since being appointed as border czar by President Joe 
Biden, Kamala Harris has undoubtedly been a complete failure in her job 
and has destroyed our country by releasing a record-setting level of 
criminals, rapists, and terrorists into our communities.
  Despite the attempts of the fake news media to whitewash her 
appointment as border czar, as Axios correctly reported and are now 
lying and saying they never did, she was, in fact, labeled a border 
czar by nearly every major news outlet across the country.
  Border czar Kamala Harris said, ``Do not come,'' yet proudly welcomed 
11.5 million illegals from over 160 countries, including over 2 million 
known got-aways, who completely evaded U.S. authorities.
  She stood by and allowed these people to come in and idly watched our 
children and women being raped by illegal alien criminals.
  She is not just allowing them to come. The policies of the 
administration allowed the CBP One app to import over 400,000 illegals 
into American communities. Under her watch as border czar, this has 
happened.
  She can fake it for the photo ops, but we know that Kamala Harris 
wholeheartedly supports the chaos at our border, the chaos in our 
streets, and the chaos in the families who have been victims of her 
open-border policies.
  Border czar Harris outlandishly compared ICE to KKK and radically 
called for ICE to be abolished. She also posted the Minnesota Freedom 
Fund to bail out violent Black Lives Matter terrorists who burned down 
cities, looted stores, destroyed communities, and caused over $2 
billion in damage to communities all over America.
  Kamala Harris is not only the border czar, but she is also the czar 
of chaos, and her policies have destroyed America.

[[Page H4926]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the Vice President.

                              {time}  1015

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez).
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, as I walked in here, all I heard was what 
I hear in my committee, constant criminalizing of immigrant 
communities.
  Let me tell you, I rise in strong opposition to H. Res. 1371.
  What this is, is more lies, more misrepresentations, and more 
inaccuracies.
  When the majority cannot pass bills, what do they do? They introduce 
blatantly political resolutions that consistently target powerful women 
of color.
  Mr. Speaker, you can always tell when we are getting closer to an 
election because these extreme members of the Republican Party 
literally turn up the volume on their xenophobia, and they are doing it 
again with H.R. 1371.
  They lie about immigration and public safety. When you look at 
studies, it shows that immigration is actually associated with lower 
crime rates.
  They fearmonger, they dehumanize, while they are also quoting 
Scripture, which is kind of hypocritical, and they scapegoat asylum 
seekers, people who, just like my parents, want to seek a life of 
dignity and hope and who have faithfully contributed to their community 
and to our collective economy.
  They are willing to vilify and misrepresent the sitting Vice 
President of the United States for her diplomatic work to address the 
root cause of migration from Central America.
  If my Republican colleagues actually cared about immigration or 
border security, they would address the conditions that drive people to 
the southern border. They would pass spending bills and invest in 
foreign humanitarian assistance and international development programs 
and would participate in cooperative efforts to realize a world where 
people can build the life they want back at home. They have done none 
of that.
  Just this week, I didn't see any of my Republican colleagues at my 
Congressional Caucus on Global Migration. Instead, they want us to 
waste our time on legislative gimmicks and sham resolutions to score 
cheap political points. It is enough. Seriously, enough.
  We have been here. We have done this. It is deja vu. It is so tired.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 
seconds to the gentlewoman from Illinois.
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, they should shelve their mass deportation 
BS; I am so tired of it.
  Let's get to solutions. We should be talking about appropriations. We 
should be talking about how we make sure that things are working for 
the American people, instead of criminalizing people that are helping 
us with our economy.
  Mr. Speaker, let's vote ``no'' on H. Res. 1371 and let's be done with 
this waste of time.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).
  Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer support for H. Res. 1371, 
Strongly Condemning the Biden Administration and Its Border Czar, 
Kamala Harris's, Failure to Secure the United States Southern Border, 
and in fact, all of our borders.
  This administration's failure to secure the border has been so 
significant, so catastrophic, that Congress must use its power to 
provide accountability.
  On day one, the Biden-Harris administration issued 64 executive 
orders to open the border to human traffickers, terrorists, and foreign 
adversaries.
  In fact, over 300 known or suspected terrorists have crossed the 
border illegally that we know about and 50 migrants with ties to ISIS 
are currently on the loose inside the United States.
  What are we hearing from our colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle with regards to that? Don't they care? They don't want to do 
anything about it. They just want to defend an open-border policy 
because that is what they are doing.
  The American people are paying the real cost of this border crisis. 
It is people like Laken Riley, like Jocelyn Nungaray, like Rachel 
Morin, who were assaulted and killed by violent criminals who crossed 
the southern border illegally.
  I have even lost constituents in my own district to this border 
crisis. The Tambunga family lost 78-year-old Maria and 7-year-old 
Emilia to a human trafficker who was here illegally, evading law 
enforcement, doing over 100 miles an hour.
  What is being done? Where is the compassion that I just heard from my 
colleague toward that family?
  Law and order is compassionate. Americans deserve accountability for 
this crisis that has wreaked havoc on our communities.
  Unfortunately, Vice President Harris does not take it seriously, has 
not done anything positively to shut down the border, to restore law 
and order, and her complacency and complete disregard to secure the 
border is unprecedented.
  This isn't about politics. In fact, for the first 2 years of the 
administration, we didn't have a single hearing on border security, not 
a single one, on the Committee of Homeland Security.
  This resolution simply calls for accountability. How many more 
hearings do we have to have under our current chairman to call for 
accountability on this because our colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle are not willing to actually call out President Biden and Vice 
President Harris? How many more times do we have to call out for help 
in our communities?
  This was led by the border czar. This open-border policy was led by 
the border czar, and it doesn't matter what we hear, it doesn't matter 
what excuses are said, and it doesn't matter what else is said from the 
other side of the aisle.
  The facts are clear: 8\1/2\ million people plus have entered this 
country illegally, 300 plus on the terrorist watch list. Thousands of 
people who are associated with gangs, who are associated with criminal 
activities, and who are associated with delivering fentanyl that has 
killed over 100,000 people in this country.

  I don't think it is funny. I personally don't think it is funny.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute 
to the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I personally don't think it is funny. For 
those laughing on the other side of the aisle, shame on them. The 
Tambunga family deserves better in my district. In fact, every American 
deserves better.
  How many more classified hearings, Mr. Speaker, are we going to have 
where the FBI comes in and where other intelligence agencies come in 
and say we have got a problem? How many more classified hearings are we 
going to have to have where they come into Congress to tell us that we 
have known and suspected terrorists inside our country?
  The post-9/11 Commission said the system was flashing red. We need to 
wake up. The system is flashing red right now, and it is due to 
President Biden and Vice President Harris' inability to secure the 
border and do something to secure our country. Shame on those who won't 
stand up and do the right thing.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1371 and 
to bring accountability back to the southern border.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a last-ditch, unserious effort by 
extreme MAGA Republicans to scapegoat Vice President Harris for 
longstanding challenges at the border.
  H. Res. 1371 is premised on the false claim that the Vice President 
was made a ``border czar,'' a fake title made up by Republicans and the 
media. This is a political stunt on the American taxpayers' dime. I 
wish they would put the same effort into immigration reform or passing 
budget bills.
  Let me reiterate: This resolution does absolutely nothing to improve 
the quality of life for Americans. If Republicans truly saw the 
challenges at the border as a crisis, they would have worked with 
Democrats on the bipartisan Senate border legislation, but

[[Page H4927]]

they abandoned the bipartisan bill to please their Presidential 
candidate who wanted a campaign issue instead.
  We get political resolutions rather than solutions. The American 
people deserve better.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, as we conclude this debate, I will quote the Vice 
President one more time.
  In 2015, she said: ``An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.''
  Well, actually, under title 8 of the United States Code, illegally 
crossing the southwest border is a Federal misdemeanor with up to 6 
months in prison as the penalty for a first offense and a felony for 
repeated offenses.
  Vice President Harris brought that mentality to her role as border 
czar. What we have witnessed today from congressional Democrats 
confirms that they know it. They have demonstrated that they have no 
concrete defense for the Biden administration or Vice President Harris' 
disastrous handling of the unprecedented border crisis, which the Vice 
President was supposed to help resolve.
  They are more upset about colloquial titles for the Vice President 
than the deadly chaos she has blatantly ignored. They think 1 month of 
slightly less disastrous border crossing numbers compared to the 
numbers of the past 3\1/2\ years is their get-out-of-jail-free card on 
this issue.
  The American people are not so easily fooled, however. It is time to 
pass H. Res. 1371 to call out Vice President Harris' abysmal failure 
and for the Senate to move on the mountain of border security bills we 
have sent them this Congress as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On July 25, 2024, on page H4927, in the first column, the 
following appeared: Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy). All time for debate 
has expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 1376, the previous 
question is ordered on the resolution and the preamble, as 
amended. The question is on adoption of the resolution. The 
question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the 
ayes appeared to have it. Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. 
Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays 
were ordered. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there 
were--yeas 220, nays 196, not voting 16, as follows: Mr. THOMPSON 
of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the RECORD a July 23 
article
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: Mr. Speaker, I 
yield back the balance of my time. Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. 
Mr. Speaker, I include in the RECORD a July 23 article


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a 
July 23 article from CBS News stating that the ``border czar'' title is 
incorrect and the Vice President's work is often mischaracterized.
  Notably, the article includes the following quote: ``Harris was not 
asked to be the administration's `border czar' or to oversee 
immigration policy and enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border.''

                     [From CBS News, July 23, 2024]

    The Facts About Kamala Harris' Role on Immigration in the Biden 
                             Administration

                       (By Camilo Montoya-Galvez)

       Following President Biden's decision to abandon his 
     reelection campaign and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris 
     to be the Democratic nominee for president, Harris' role on 
     immigration has come under scrutiny.
       Soon after Mr. Biden's announcement, Republicans sought to 
     blame Harris for the Biden administration's woes at the U.S.-
     Mexico border, where American officials have reported record 
     levels of illegal crossings in the past three years. In a 
     phone conversation with CBS News on Saturday, former 
     President Donald Trump said Harris presided over the ``worst 
     border ever'' as ``border czar,'' a title her Republican 
     detractors often give her.
       Harris is all but certain to face even more criticism over 
     the Biden administration's record on immigration, one of 
     American voters' top concerns ahead of the election. And 
     Harris does have an immigration-related role in the Biden 
     White House, but her responsibilities on the issue are often 
     mischaracterized.


               What exactly is Harris' immigration role?

       In March 2021, when the Biden administration faced the 
     early stages of an influx in illega1 crossings at the U.S. 
     southern border, Mr. Biden tasked Harris with leading the 
     administration's diplomatic campaign to address the ``root 
     causes'' of migration from Guatemala, Honduras and El 
     Salvador, including poverty, corruption and violence.
       The region, known as Central America's Northern Triangle, 
     has been one of the main sources of migration to the U.S.-
     Mexico border over the past decade.
       Harris was not asked to be the administration's ``border 
     czar'' or to oversee immigration policy and enforcement at 
     the U.S.-Mexico border. That has mainly been the 
     responsibility of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro 
     Mayorkas and his department, which oversees the country's 
     main three immigration agencies, including Customs and Border 
     Protection.
       In reality, the only role close to that of a ``border 
     czar'' under the Biden administration was held for only a few 
     months by Roberta Jacobson, a longtime diplomat who served as 
     coordinator for the Southwest border until April 2021.
       In her immigration role, Harris' main line of work has 
     focused on convincing companies to invest in Central America 
     and promoting democracy and development there through 
     diplomacy. In March of this year, the White House announced 
     Harris had secured a commitment from the private sector to 
     invest over $5 billion to promote economic opportunities and 
     reduce violence in the region.
       Efforts to reduce migration by improving conditions in 
     migrants' home countries have always been viewed as a long-
     term strategy by U.S. officials. In its ``root causes'' 
     framework, the Biden administration conceded the ``systemic 
     change'' it envisions for Central America ``will take time to 
     achieve.''


                Questions about her work on immigration

       There are some legitimate questions about Harris' work on 
     immigration.
       Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most non-Mexican migration to 
     the U.S. southern border originated from the Northern 
     Triangle. In 2021, it made sense for the administration to 
     focus on the root cases of migration in those countries. But 
     migration flows have changed dramatically in recent years. 
     Record numbers of migrants have been coming from places 
     outside of Central America, including from countries like 
     Cuba, Colombia, China, Ecuador and Venezuela.
       In fiscal year 2023, for example, Border Patrol 
     apprehensions of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El 
     Salvador made up 22 percent of all crossings during that time 
     period, down from 41 percent in fiscal year 2021, government 
     statistics show. On the flip side, however, the 
     administration could point to the fact that illegal crossings 
     along the U.S. southern border by migrants from Guatemala, 
     Honduras and El Salvador have decreased significantly every 
     year since 2021.
       While most of her critics have been Republicans, Harris' 
     work on immigration has also garnered some criticism from the 
     left. During a visit to Guatemala in June 2021, Harris told 
     those intending to migrate, ``Do not come,'' a statement that 
     drew ire from some progressives and advocates for migrants.
       As the second-highest ranking member of the Biden 
     administration, Harris will also likely face questions over 
     the all-time levels of unlawful border crossings reported in 
     2021, 2022 and 2023. Those crossings, however, have plunged 
     this year, reaching a three-year low in June, after Mr. Biden 
     issued an executive order banning most migrants from asylum.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a 
July 19 article from CBS News stating that the number of migrants 
unlawfully crossing the southern border has continued to drop 
dramatically in July, thanks to Biden-Harris administration policies.
  Notably, the article includes the following quote: ``July is on track 
to see the fifth consecutive monthly drop in migrant apprehensions 
along the U.S.-Mexico border and the lowest level in illegal 
immigration there since the fall of 2020, during the Trump 
administration. . .''.

                     [From CBS News, July 19, 2024]

Migrant Crossings Continue to Plunge, Nearing the Level That Would Lift 
                        Biden's Border Crackdown

                       (By Camilo Montoya-Galvez)

       The number of migrants unlawfully crossing the U.S. 
     southern border has continued to drop markedly in July, 
     nearing a threshold that would require officials to lift a 
     partial ban on asylum claims enacted by President Biden, 
     according to internal government data obtained by CBS News.
       July is on track to see the fifth consecutive monthly drop 
     in migrant apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border and the 
     lowest level in illegal immigration there since the fall of 
     2020, during the Trump administration, the internal 
     Department of Homeland Security figures show.
       In early June, President Biden invoked a far-reaching 
     presidential authority to suspend the entry of most migrants 
     entering the U.S. illegally, effectively shutting off access 
     to the American asylum system outside of official ports of 
     entry.
       Illegal border crossings--which were already falling before 
     Mr. Biden's action--plunged further after the order took 
     effect, reaching a three-year low in June.


    Illegal crossings along U.S. southern border over the past year

       The numbers denote Border Patrol apprehensions of migrants 
     who entered the U.S. between official ports of entry along 
     the southern border.
       But the DHS regulation implementing Mr. Biden's 
     proclamation stipulated that the asylum crackdown would be 
     lifted if the 7-day average of daily migrant apprehensions 
     between ports of entry fell to 1,500.
       In the past week, the average of daily illegal crossings 
     counted in the regulation's calculations reached roughly 
     1,650, according to the internal DHS figures. Those 
     calculations, as dictated by the regulation, exclude 
     crossings by unaccompanied children who are not

[[Page H4928]]

     from Mexico. Those children are typically housed in 
     government-run shelters until they turn 18 or are placed with 
     a U.S.-based sponsor, as mandated by a 2008 antitrafficking 
     law.
       If the 7-day average of daily illegal crossings dips to 
     1,500, the regulation says, Mr. Biden's asylum proclamation 
     would be ``discontinued 14 days after'' Homeland Security 
     Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas makes a ``factual 
     determination'' about the threshold being reached.
       ``The Departments have determined that the 1,500-encounter 
     threshold is a reasonable proxy for when the border security 
     and immigration system is no longer over capacity and the 
     measures adopted in this rule are not necessary to deal with 
     such circumstances,'' the regulation says.


                  Asylum limits could remain in place

       While illegal border crossings are nearing the 1,500 
     deactivation threshold, it's possible that they may remain 
     above that number, keeping the partial asylum ban in place. 
     And even if the 1,500 trigger is reached, Mr. Biden's 
     proclamation would be reinstated if the 7-day average of 
     daily illegal crossings were to rebound to 2,500.
       A senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official 
     said the agency does not expect the partial ban on asylum 
     requests to be deactivated imminently, noting that illegal 
     crossings appear to be plateauing.
       ``We're not in a place yet where we're a day . . . or days 
     away from being below 1,500,'' the official told CBS News.
       But the official acknowledged that reaching the 1,500 
     trigger is possible and confirmed there's been internal 
     planning and preparations for that eventuality.
       If Mr. Biden's proclamation is suspended, the official 
     said, CBP would still strive to place migrants in expedited 
     deportation proceedings, instead of releasing them with 
     notices to appear in immigration court. Another Biden 
     administration asylum restriction that applies to those who 
     don't seek refuge in third countries before crossing into the 
     U.S. would also remain in place.
       ``Noncitizens who enter the United States between ports of 
     entry and do not have a legal basis to remain in the United 
     States continue to be swiftly removed,'' DHS spokesperson 
     Erin Heeter said in a statement.


                    A dramatic change at the border

       With an overall average of roughly 1,800 daily migrant 
     apprehensions so far in July, Border Patrol is on pace to 
     record fewer than 60,000 migrant apprehensions this month, 
     the lowest level since September 2020, according to 
     unpublished DHS data. That average, unlike the one used in 
     the asylum regulation's calculations, includes all 
     unaccompanied children.
       The current situation at the southern border represents a 
     dramatic change from just late last year, when illegal 
     crossings rose to a quarter of a million in December, an all-
     time monthly high. After that record-breaking influx, the 
     Mexican government, at the request of U.S. officials, ramped 
     up operations to stop migrants from reaching American soil.
       Immigration experts credited the Mexican government's 
     migration crackdown with playing a key role in the sustained 
     drop in migrant crossings recorded by American officials this 
     year. Temperatures in the southern U.S. have also soared in 
     the summer, making the migration journey even more perilous.
       But U.S. officials said Mr. Biden's move to partially shut 
     down asylum processing has led to a more acute drop in 
     unlawful crossings. Because it makes it easier for U.S. 
     officials to deport more migrants, the proclamation has 
     sharply reduced the releases that authorities view as a 
     factor that encourages migration.
       Still, not everyone is being deported quickly. Some groups, 
     such as unaccompanied children, medically vulnerable migrants 
     and those who secure appointments to be processed at legal 
     entry points, are exempt from the partial asylum ban. Some 
     migrants who are disqualified from asylum under the policy 
     are also still allowed to stay because the U.S. does not 
     carry out regular deportations to their home countries due to 
     diplomatic and logistical constraints.
       Progressive advocacy groups have strongly decried Mr. 
     Biden's asylum crackdown, and the American Civil Liberties 
     Union is arguing in federal court that the policy violates 
     U.S. and international refugee law.
       Theresa Cardinal Brown, a senior adviser at the Bipartisan 
     Policy Center and a former government immigration official 
     under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said the 
     legality of Mr. Biden's actions are ``still an outstanding 
     question.'' But she said the drop in releases under the 
     policy is affecting migrants' decisions, at least in the 
     short-term.
       ``When a sufficient number, it doesn't necessarily have to 
     be everybody, but a sufficient number of people are not 
     allowed to come in, to wait and succeed in coming in, that 
     does send a signal back,'' she said.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a 
fact sheet released by the Department of Homeland Security this morning 
that shows President Biden's Presidential Proclamation to temporarily 
suspend the entry of certain noncitizens across the southern border has 
helped reduce the number of encounters at out our Southwest Border by 
55 percent.

     [From the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, July 24, 2024]

 FACT SHEET: President Biden's Presidential Proclamation and Joint DHS-
DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest Border by 55 Percent

       The Presidential Proclamation issued by President Biden to 
     temporarily suspend the entry of certain noncitizens across 
     the southern border--including the southwest land and 
     southern coastal borders--and the complementary joint interim 
     final rule (IFR) issued by DHS DOJ have now been in effect 
     for seven weeks, helping reduce the number of encounters at 
     our Southwest Border by 55 percent. The Border Patrol's 7-day 
     average has decreased to below 1,800 encounters per day. In 
     June, the Border Patrol recorded 83,536 encounters between 
     ports of entry, the lowest number since January 2021, and 
     below the number of encounters between ports of entry in June 
     2019, the last comparable year prior to the pandemic.
       While the President's action has led to significant 
     results, our nation's immigration system requires 
     Congressional action to provide needed resources and 
     additional authorities. Twice now, Congress has failed to 
     pass the bipartisan border security agreement negotiated in 
     the U.S. Senate, which would provide the critical personnel 
     and funding needed to further secure our Southern border. The 
     agreement would have added 1,500 U.S. Customs and Border 
     Protection (CBP) Agents and Officers, added 1,200 U.S. 
     Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, 4,300 
     asylum officers, invested in technology to catch illegal 
     fentanyl, and delivered sweeping reforms to the asylum 
     system. Congress must still act.
       While the Proclamation and IFR have been in effect:
       DHS has removed and returned more than 65,000 individuals 
     to more than 125 countries, including by operating more than 
     200 international repatriation flights.
       DHS has doubled the percentage of noncitizens processed 
     through Expedited Removal while in CBP or ICE custody. 
     Expedited Removal processing was already at record levels 
     prior to the Proclamation.
       DHS has decreased the number of people released pending 
     their removal proceedings by 70
       We continue to implement recently announced measures 
     (https://www.ice.gov/news/release/ice-announces-ongoing-work-
optimize-enforcement-resources) to increase the overall 
     capacity of enforcement resources--including repatriation 
     flights and detention capacity. ICE is optimizing air charter 
     contracts to maximize the number of repatriation flights 
     operated each week.
       Over the last year, the agency has removed individuals to a 
     range of South American and Eastern Hemisphere countries, 
     including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, 
     Senegal, Uzbekistan, and India, and in the last few weeks, 
     DHS conducted a removal flight to the People's Republic of 
     China (PRC). Efforts to expand the number of removal flights 
     continue with the expectation of additional flights added to 
     the schedule in the coming weeks.
       Under the terms of the IFR, the limitation on asylum 
     eligibility will be discontinued when encounters fall below 
     certain levels but will come back into effect if encounters 
     rise again. The Proclamation and IFR enable DHS to quickly 
     remove those without a legal basis to remain, strengthening 
     enforcement consequences for those who fail to use lawful 
     pathways to come to the United States. For more information 
     on how the Proclamation and IFR work, visit the following 
     links:
       Fact Sheet: President Biden's Presidential Proclamation and 
     Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule Cut Encounters at Southwest 
     Border by Over 40 Percent in First Three Weeks (https:/-
     www.dhs.gov/news/2024/06/25/fact-sheet-president-bidens-
presidential-proclamation-and-joint-dhs-doj-interim)
       Fact Sheet: Presidential Proclamation to Suspend and Limit 
     Entry and Joint DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule to Restrict Asylum 
     During High Encounters at the Southern Border (https://
www.dhs.gov/news/2024/06/04/fact-sheet-presidential-
proclamation-suspend-and-limit-entry-and-joint-dhs-doi)
       Individuals continue to be eligible for asylum, including 
     individuals who use the CBP OneTM mobile app's 
     appointment scheduling function. CBP makes 1,450 appointments 
     available per day at eight land ports of entry via this 
     functionality. Use of the app requires those seeking an 
     appointment to submit vital information in advance, improving 
     DHS's ability to conduct screening and vetting. CBP One is 
     just one example of how this Administration has carried out 
     the largest expansion of lawful pathways and orderly 
     processes in decades.
       The majority of all Southwest border encounters during the 
     past three fiscal years resulted in a removal, return, or 
     expulsion. DHS removed or returned over 740,000 individuals 
     in the 12 months after the end of the Title 42 public health 
     Order, more than any year since 2010. That included more 
     removals to countries other than Mexico than in any prior 
     year ever.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a 
July 22 ``analysis'' article from the right-wing Wall Street Journal 
stating that the Vice President's role was narrow--and also successful.
  Notably, the article includes the following quote: ``Harris's job was 
meant to be narrow, and over the years Harris has fulfilled it by 
announcing tranches of private investments.''

[[Page H4929]]

  


                       [From WSJ, July 22, 2024]

      Analysis: Was Kamala Harris Actually Biden's `Border Czar'?

                         (By Michelle Hackman)

       Even before Kamala Harris became the Democrats' likely 
     challenger to Donald Trump, Republicans have used her 
     immigration portfolio as a line of attack against her--
     calling her President Biden's ``border czar.'' But Harris's 
     task, assigned to her in 2021 by Biden, was actually much 
     narrower.
       At the start of his presidency, Biden tasked his VP with 
     what the administration called the ``root causes'' of 
     migration from Central America--the extreme poverty, famine 
     and gang violence that have driven so many people over the 
     last decade to uproot their lives and head north to the U.S.
       Former President Barack Obama had asked Biden to take on 
     the same task when he was vice president. Biden successfully 
     pushed Congress to allot several billion in aid money for 
     Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
       Harris's job was meant to be narrow, and over the years 
     Harris has fulfilled it by announcing tranches of private 
     investments by companies like Pepsi, Cargill and Nestle in 
     Central America.
       But the assignment gave Republicans a convenient scapegoat 
     as illegal crossings at the southern border climbed. Days 
     after the announcement of her assignment, House Republicans 
     appeared at a press conference brandishing a sign reading, 
     ``missing at the border: Vice President Kamala Harris.''
       On Monday, the RNC tweeted a video purporting to show the 
     moment Biden anointed Harris ``border czar.'' In the video, 
     Biden says he is asking Harris ``to lead our efforts with 
     Mexico and the Northern Triangle, the countries that need 
     help in stemming a movement of so many folks, of stemming the 
     migration to our southern border.''
  Mr. Thompson of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an 
April 5 ``fact check'' article from the Washington Post giving four 
Pinocchios to the favorite Republican claim that the Biden 
administration ``flew at least 400,000 illegal immigrants into the 
country.''
  Notably, the article states that Republicans are Quote: ``peddling a 
blatant falsehood her'' Unquote.

               [From the Washington Post, April 5, 2024]

  Taxpayer Dollars Being Used to Fly `Illegal Aliens' Into U.S.? Nope.

                           (By Glenn Kessler)

       ``Do you support American taxpayer dollars being used to 
     fly illegal immigrants from countries like Venezuela and 
     Haiti into America to be settled in cities and towns near 
     you? If so, then vote against me. Vote no to preserve this 
     practice of using taxpayer dollars to charter planes that 
     move and import thousands of illegal aliens into your 
     states.?
       Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), in a speech on the Senate 
     floor, March 23:
       ``Have you had to cancel or rethink any upcoming summer 
     trips because of high prices? Don't worry--your taxpayer 
     dollars will be used to pay for illegal immigrants to fly 
     into a town near you.''
       Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chair of the House Homeland 
     Security Committee, in a post on X, April 2:
       Two lawmakers from Tennessee have issued misleading 
     statements about a Biden administration program that 
     permitted an increased use of a process known as humanitarian 
     parole for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and 
     Venezuela. Hagerty offered an amendment to a spending bill--
     defeated in a party-line vote--that he said would prevent 
     taxpayer dollars from being used to fly in migrants. Green, 
     on X, posted a Fox News article--headlined ``All Senate Dems 
     vote against barring taxpayer funds to fly illegal migrants 
     to U.S. towns''--and made a similar claim.
       Under the Biden program, people from these countries who 
     try to cross the border without the proper paperwork are 
     ineligible for parole and subject to expulsion. Instead, 
     before arriving, they must receive authorization to travel to 
     the United States and a statement of financial support from a 
     sponsor.
       As of the end of February, the Department of Homeland 
     Security says, more than 386,000 people from those countries 
     had arrived lawfully in the United States and another 19,000 
     were vetted and authorized to travel. In other words, they 
     are not in the country illegally, despite the rhetoric in the 
     statements.
       And beyond the question of whether these immigrants are 
     ``illegal,'' if You listen to Hagerty and Green, U.S. 
     taxpayers are footing the bill for their travel. That's 
     wrong.


                               the Facts

       The website for the program makes clear that people 
     applying for humanitarian parole must pay for their tickets. 
     Under a list of requirements, one is: ``Provide for their own 
     commercial travel to an air U.S. port of entry and final U.S. 
     destination.''
       When we asked spokespeople for Hagerty and Green, we 
     received different answers about why they said taxpayers' 
     dollars were involved. Neither is convincing.
       Hagerty's staff said he was referring not to plane tickets, 
     but to the fact that the program was created and administered 
     with taxpayer dollars. His amendment said ``no funds 
     appropriated by this Act may be used to facilitate, provide, 
     or purchase air transportation from a foreign country to the 
     United States''--so ``facilitate'' is the operative word 
     here.
       But the arm of the DHS that administers the program--U.S. 
     Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)--is 96 percent 
     funded by fees paid by people seeking to come to the United 
     States. For instance, people in the parole program must pay 
     as much as $520 to file an application for work 
     authorization.
       Moreover, parole applications (now totaling about 400,000) 
     make up an even smaller part of the nearly 10 million 
     applications handled by USCIS each year, so the number of 
     people handling the applications would be an infinitesimal 
     part of the USCIS workforce. On top of that, the salaries of 
     these workers are funded by fees, not congressional 
     appropriations (``taxpayer dollars'').
       In any case, as we noted, people approved for the program 
     must book and pay for their own flights to come to the United 
     States. There aren't any charter flights, despite what 
     Hagerty said.
       Green's staff offered a different explanation--that he was 
     referring to nongovernmental organizations being reimbursed 
     for transportation costs through the Shelter and Services 
     Program (SSP), run by the Federal Emergency Management 
     Agency, another arm of the DHS. But this is also off base.
       The SSP is focused on helping pay the costs for people who 
     cross the border between ports of entry, such as with the 
     help of smugglers, and find themselves abandoned in the 
     middle of a desert. The recipients are mainly border cities 
     and charities that assist these undocumented immigrants with 
     food, shelter and transportation. But people in the parole 
     program arrive with authorization and a confirmed financial 
     sponsor. In fact, the Biden administration created the parole 
     program to reduce unauthorized border crossings that have 
     burdened border facilities.
       So the only way SSP dollars would be used by someone in the 
     parole program is if a disaster happened and this person 
     found themselves in a shelter that received some funding from 
     the SSP--a highly unlikely prospect.


                           the Pinocchio Test

       Hagerty and Green are peddling a blatant falsehood here--
     that the Biden administration is paying for the flights of 
     migrants from four countries in the parole program. In 
     reality, the migrants must pay their own way. When 
     challenged, their offices resorted to alternative 
     explanations about the use of taxpayer dollars that strain 
     credulity.


                            Four Pinocchios

       The Fact Checker is a verified signatory to the 
     International Fact-Checking Network code of principles.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy). All time for debate has 
expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 1376, the previous question is ordered 
on the resolution and the preamble, as amended.
  The question is on adoption of the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas 
and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 220, 
nays 196, not voting 16, as follows:


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On July 25, 2024, on page H4929, in the third column, the 
following appeared: code of principles. [Roll No. 400] YEAS--220 
The online version has been corrected to read: code of principles. 
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy). All time for debate has 
expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 1376, the previous question 
is ordered on the resolution and the preamble, as amended. The 
question is on adoption of the resolution. The question was taken; 
and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to 
have it. Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, on that I 
demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The vote 
was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 220, nays 
196, not voting 16, as follows: [Roll No. 400] YEAS--220


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


                             [Roll No. 400]

                               YEAS--220

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NC)
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Caraveo
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Comer
     Crane
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Cuellar
     Curtis
     D'Esposito
     Davidson
     Davis (NC)
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Fong
     Foxx
     Franklin, Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Garbarino
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Golden (ME)
     Gonzales, Tony
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Graves (LA)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Hill
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Huizenga
     Hunt
     Issa
     Jackson (TX)
     James
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kean (NJ)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kiggans (VA)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaLota
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lawler
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Lopez
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Luttrell
     Mace
     Malliotakis
     Maloy
     Mann
     Mast
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (OH)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Mills
     Molinaro
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Moran
     Murphy
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Nunn (IA)
     Obernolte
     Ogles
     Owens
     Palmer
     Peltola
     Pence
     Perez
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rosendale
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Rulli
     Rutherford
     Salazar
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Self
     Sessions
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Spartz
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Strong
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Timmons
     Valadao
     Van Drew
     Van Duyne
     Van Orden
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (NY)
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

[[Page H4930]]


  


                               NAYS--196

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Amo
     Auchincloss
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bowman
     Boyle (PA)
     Brown
     Brownley
     Budzinski
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Casar
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crockett
     Crow
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (IL)
     Dean (PA)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Deluzio
     DeSaulnier
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Foushee
     Frankel, Lois
     Frost
     Gallego
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Garcia, Robert
     Goldman (NY)
     Gomez
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gottheimer
     Green, Al (TX)
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hoyle (OR)
     Huffman
     Ivey
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson (NC)
     Jacobs
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Kamlager-Dove
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster
     Landsman
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Lee (PA)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lynch
     Magaziner
     Manning
     Matsui
     McBath
     McClellan
     McCollum
     McGarvey
     McGovern
     Meeks
     Menendez
     Meng
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moskowitz
     Moulton
     Mrvan
     Mullin
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Nickel
     Norcross
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pelosi
     Peters
     Pettersen
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Pressley
     Ramirez
     Raskin
     Ross
     Ryan
     Salinas
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Scholten
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Sorensen
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Suozzi
     Swalwell
     Sykes
     Takano
     Thanedar
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tokuda
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Vasquez
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watson Coleman
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)

                             NOT VOTING--16

     Bush
     Castro (TX)
     Evans
     Garamendi
     Granger
     Graves (MO)
     Grijalva
     Higgins (LA)
     Hudson
     Massie
     Pascrell
     Porter
     Quigley
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Turner

                              {time}  1059

  Mr. NUNN of Iowa changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I missed one Roll Call vote 
today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``YEA'' on Roll Call No. 
400.
  Mr. BUSH. Mr. Speaker, I was not present during today's vote series. 
Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 400.
  Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be present to cast my vote 
today. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 400.

                          ____________________