North Shore Louisiana News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 11, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) spoke on the House Floor to express his support for H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act. Leader Scalise emphasized the need for strong border security protections as Title 42 ends tonight and our Border Patrol agencies anticipate record-breaking illegal border crossings. Leader Scalise also hammered the Biden Administration for open border policies that give cartels operational control over the southern border and enable the free flow of fentanyl in the United States. Leader Scalise also urged support of H.R. 2 as a robust solution to address these problems and end the humanitarian crisis at the border. 

Highlights from Leader Scalise's remarks: 

“Mr. Speaker, we have a crisis at our nation's border. That's why we're bringing the [Secure the Border Act] to the Floor today. It's why the President and Secretary Mayorkas should be doing everything in their power to stop the surge that we're seeing today – maybe 10,000 people – coming across illegally. That is something that Secretary Mayorkas says is not an open border. I would hate to see his description of an open border if 10,000 people coming across in one day is not. 

“They are derelict in their duty because they have opened up the border to the tune of over five million people that have come into our country. That's more than my home state of Louisiana that have come into our country illegally just in the last two years that [President] Biden has been President. We've asked, ‘Where are they going? ‘Where are they housing them? Are the kids going to school?’ They don't know. 
“In fact, the New York Times just reported that the Biden Administration lost track of 85,000 young kids who have come into our country illegally. How do you lose 85,000 young kids and then say you don't have a problem? And you won't work with Republicans to fix it. The President actually issued a veto threat on this bill. 

“And what does this bill [do]? It secures America's border again and ends catch-and-release. It says, ‘Let's get back to rule of law.’ We are actually a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. We can do both, but this President has abandoned the rule of law to the point where more than five million people have come across illegally. And what has it also done? It's brought drugs into our country. The cartels are running our southern border. Today, we're going to lose 300 young people to fentanyl deaths because President Biden opened our southern border. Yesterday, 300 young people died. Tomorrow, another 300 young people in America will die because the President opened the southern border and he doesn't care about it. He issued a veto threat on the bill that will fix it. 

“House Republicans are not going to sit on the sidelines. We brought a bill to the Floor that everybody should vote for. Again, get back to rule of law. Give our Border Patrol agents the tools they need, so that somebody actually has an asylum claim, [then] they can come and seek asylum and the legal way. You want to come to America? We're the most generous nation in the world. Legal immigration works. When you open up the border, and bring five million people in two years, it undermines the entire legal system and it breaks down communities – not just at the border, [but] all across America. 

“This is wreaking devastation all across America – not only the deaths, [but] all of the other things that go with it and the President won’t fix it. Today, we can take a step to fix this problem. I urge all Members to vote for this bill and I urge the President to get engaged and work with us to solve this problem. Let's pass the bill.” 

Original source can be found here.