GUS ON THE ISSUES

Securing our Southern Border

The Problem: Fast Facts, by the Numbers

• The Biden Administration has failed to uphold the law and the result has been a historic surge – with an estimated 8 million migrants illegally entering the country since President Biden took office –  in FY 2023 alone, 168 of those who were encountered trying to illegally enter were on the Terror Watch List.  This is the greatest influx of illegal migrants in American history. The true numbers of those entering our country illegally is much higher. Border officials estimate that another 2,000 people per day avoid interaction with border patrol and successfully enter the country.
•  Our adversaries are exploiting our weak border policies – which is creating a national security threat that is so serious that even liberal Democrats are calling for border policy reform.  And the mismanagement at the border is expensive!  A new report from the House Homeland Security Committee outlines how American taxpayers are on the hook for up to $451 billion to care for migrants who entered the US illegally and were released into the country or escaped custody. Americans deserve accountability for the poor decision making by the Biden Administration that is adding to our fiscal troubles. 
• There has also been a huge spike in drug and human trafficking along the southern border since Biden took office. In 2021, 11,201 pounds of fentanyl were seized- a 134% increase from 2020 and enough to kill every American nearly 7x over. More than 100,000 Americans are dying annually from fentanyl overdose and the problem is directly linked to the Border Crisis.
• These staggering statistics are not a fluke, but rather the result of deliberate policies that have encouraged migrants to break our laws and enter the country. During his State of the Union, President Biden said, “We need to secure the border and fix the immigration system. It is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do,” However, his words have not matched his actions. He sued in court to be able to abandon many of the Trump-era policies that were containing the situation, including the repeal of the Remain in Mexico Policy.
• Instead of addressing what has become a humanitarian, health and national security problem, the Biden Administration keeps announcing plans that will exacerbate the problem. For example, the Administration has discussed paying illegal immigrants settlement payments of up to $450,000. Democrats’ budget proposals did not contain one dollar to add additional Border Security Agents, however, it contained amnesty for up to 10 million illegal immigrants and $100 billion in taxpayer funded benefits. These individuals broke the law by entering the country. If they are compensated for doing so, it will encourage even more people to break the law.
• At the same time that we are seeing these historic increases in the number of illegal migrants entering our country, deportations have dropped by 68%, the lowest level in 26 years, before ICE was created. Flights and busloads of illegal migrants are being shipped throughout the country without proper monitoring or follow-up to ensure these people appear at their hearings.
  
  

Bilirakis Action:

Gus Bilirakis understands that the Biden Border Crisis has made every city and state a border city- because the impacts are being felt everywhere. Unlike, our Border Czar Kamala Harris, Gus Bilirakis has been to the border to see the situation for himself on multiple occasions, including a trip with local Sheriffs and law enforcement leaders.  He has spoken with border patrol agents, local leaders, residents and business owners. He is a co-sponsor of the Secure the Border Act which passed the House and would require the Administration to restart border wall construction, require transparency and combat human trafficking. He has voted to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.  He has spoken on the House Floor on several occasions, written multiple editorials and testified in hearings about the urgency of this crisis and making it clear that future spending votes must be tied to significant border security measures.