The Secure the Border Act

The Secure the Border Act

Written by David E. Smith

The border between the United States and Mexico is approximately 1,954 miles long, and while much of the border is secured, there are large portions where it remains wide open for illegal immigration, smuggling, and trafficking. When Joe Biden came into office, he inherited the lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45 years. Instead of following the successful policies of the Trump administration, he implemented three major changes that have resulted in a tsunami of migrants coming over the border:

The first week in office Biden immediately halted construction of the border wall.

Biden reinstated the failed policy of Catch and Release, so that when people are apprehended they’re merely given a court date and released into the US. The vast majority of them are never seen again.

Biden pulled out of the incredibly successful Remain In Mexico agreement which said that when people cross illegally into Mexico from Central or South America, that they would remain in Mexico while their U.S. asylum case was processed. It worked very well.

As a result, we have seen 7.2 million illegal immigrants cross the border since Biden assumed the presidency. It can be argued that the majority of illegal immigrants coming over the border are seeking a better life and will work hard to achieve the American Dream. Watch this recent NTD report to learn more about the growing crisis:

Criminal Immigrants

Most families would be shocked to learn how many criminal “noncitizens” are making their way into our cities and heartland. Official statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) show that the number of criminal noncitizens arrested are at record highs, steadily increasing from 2,438 arrests in 2020 to 10,810 so far in 2023. In an article by The Center Square, former Border Patrol and CBP chief Mark Morgan is quoted as saying:

“In many areas, there are 80% or more fewer Border Patrol agents on the line because they’re relegated to doing administrative work processing and releasing the millions of illegal aliens they’ve apprehended. Fewer agents on the line means more criminals will get thorough undetected.

“It’s common sense. There have been more than 1.7 million total gotaways in the past 29 months. The number of murders, rapists, pedophiles, aggravated felons, and gang members among the gotaways who now call the U.S. home is staggering and should terrify us all.”

“Gotaways” are illegals who have been shown by cameras or other sensors to have crossed the border but completely evaded authorities — thus, they have “gotten away” so nothing is known about them.

Will Congress Act?

Republicans in Congress have been attempting to include the “Secure the Border Act” — H.R. 2 — in different versions of continuing resolutions to keep the government open and funded. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced legislation which includes significant border security measures, while also making deep changes to the asylum system as well as the use of parole to allow migrants to enter the U.S. It would also restart construction of the border wall. Senator Cruz recently addressed this issue in an emphatic and exasperated manner in his podcast:

State governments, Congress and the courts must tackle this engineered tsunami of illegal immigration or America will be facing a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions. Time is short.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send a message to Congress and the White House to demand that they take action to secure the southern border. In order to stop the influx of immigrants, criminals, potential terrorists and deadly drugs, you may want to urge them to pass the Secure the Borders Act and specifically:

end policies relating to the “catch and release” of illegal immigrants into the United States;
build a physical barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border;
mandate that Homeland Security deport aliens who have been convicted or charged with any criminal offense.

The Secure the Border Act enacts effective border security solutions, including:

1. Requiring the Department of Homeland Security to resume border wall construction.

2. Increasing the number of Border Patrol Agents.

3. Tightening asylum standards by restricting asylum to only aliens who present at ports of entry and by requiring aliens to prove they are “more likely than not” to qualify for their asylum claim.

4. Narrowing DHS’s power to unilaterally grant parole to illegal aliens.

5. Criminalizing visa overstays by making the first offense a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and the second offense a felony punishable by up to a $2,000 fine and up to two years imprisonment.

6. Stopping NGOs from using tax dollars to transport or lodge illegal aliens and provide illegal aliens with lawyers.

7. Restricting DHS from using its CBP One app to welcome illegal aliens into the country.

8. Requiring employers to use E-Verify.

9. Ensuring CBP has access to the criminal history databases of all countries of origin and transit so that CBP is aware of the criminal history of illegal aliens encountered at the southern border.