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[Page H233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1215
THE CRISIS ON OUR SOUTHERN BORDER
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, the crisis on our southern border is very
real. When I took the oath to represent the big First District of
Kansas, it became my responsibility to put our citizens and their
security first. Without secure borders, we cannot ensure our Nation's
safety, period.
We have tens of thousands of immigrants filling our entryways every
month and, in result; drugs, criminals, and violence spilling into our
country. I challenge all my colleagues that are denying this crisis
exists to go and see our southern border firsthand, as I did, and it
was quite an eye-opening moment.
Last year alone, there were 1.7 million pounds of narcotics--let me
say that again--1.7 million pounds of narcotics seized by Customs and
Border Patrol. Seventeen thousand adults with existing criminal records
attempted to enter our southern border; that is over 40 per day.
But perhaps, Mr. Speaker, the most eye-opening of all, we are now
averaging over 1,000 illegal and inadmissible people per day. That is
in 1 day, over 1,000 people.
The $5.7 billion the President is asking for is an investment of
taxpayer dollars that will pay off for decades.
The fact that some of my colleagues are blatantly ignoring that walls
along the border work is intellectually dishonest. According to DHS and
U.S. Border Patrol, illegal trafficking has dropped more than 90
percent in places where walls and barriers were built.
It is embarrassing that, even with this evidence, my friends on the
other side of the aisle shut down the government because this Congress
cannot do its most basic duty to do its job and prioritize our
country's safety by funding initiatives that we know for a fact work.
I agree, though, that we cannot stop at border security alone. It is
crucial that we also address and fix our very broken immigration system
and allow hardworking migrants who want to work hard and raise their
families in the United States to come.
There is a right way to do this. There is a win-win-win opportunity.
There is a win for border security; there is a win for immigration
policy overhaul; and there is a win to reopen the small portion of
government which is closed.
I am continually frustrated by the narrative that we can't win for
all American parties here in these negotiations. This is an opportune
moment to quit kicking the can down the road and actually work together
to couple border security priorities with long-term immigration fixes.
As we enter the 17th day of this government shutdown, I will continue
to stand for a secure America and hope my colleagues choose an open
government over open borders.
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