On the recordFebruary 7, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Walker for holding this Special Order. Mr. Speaker, I want you to know I continue to be astonished that our Democratic Members--our colleagues--turned a blind eye to what is happening in this country because of what is going on on the border. Unlike many in Congress, I have been down to the border multiple times. I grew up just a number of miles--60, 70 miles--from the border myself. I have been down there many times. A couple of weeks ago I took eight Congressmen with me. We toured the border. We met with multiple ranchers, and their story is very similar. We got to talk to one guy-- four home invasions, more than 15 burglaries, endless vandalism, and trespassing daily. He was not unique. Another family has set up their own cameras and sensors so they can see. We watched them. We watched the people coming across. This is hour after hour of footage. Do you know what? These were young men coming across with carpet slippers so you couldn't see their footprints. I didn't see the moms and children coming across. I saw the young men carrying bundles of drugs across. On Monday the ``Washington Examiner'' published an article detailing the fear of border residents living in New Mexico. They, like those in Arizona, Texas, and California have been burglarized. They find groups of illegal aliens squatting in their barns with bundles of drugs on their land. But they won't call the authorities because they fear retaliation from drug cartels.…