David Valadao: “I thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding. What we are seeing at our southern border is a humanitarian and…”

“I thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding. What we are seeing at our southern border is a humanitarian and national security crisis. Earlier this year, I was at the border with my colleague from Arizona to see the situation on the ground firsthand. Our Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed by the surge of migrants from around the world, and we need to give them more support. Unfortunately, the Biden administration has sent a clear message that our southern border is open for business for drug smuggling and human trafficking. The flow of illegal drugs, guns, and human traffickers has a direct impact on the people from the Central Valley. I just held a teletownhall this week, and one of the issues that came up the most was the situation at our border and concerns with fentanyl. We must take action to combat the loss of life from illegal drugs, like fentanyl, which are flowing across our open border at an alarming rate. The House has passed legislation this year to increase the number of Border Patrol agents, deploy new drone and surveillance technologies, and restore construction of the border wall. These are commonsense measures that would go a long way to ensure our Border Patrol agents have the tools they need to deal with the crisis. For too long, extremes on both sides of the aisle have discouraged real and meaningful discussion regarding border security and immigration reform.…”