Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, as a threshold matter, the underlying bill already includes a provision that would effectively end the current operation of the program referenced in this amendment. That is because applicants must use the CBP One mobile app from abroad to submit information that is then used to conduct background checks. The majority's bill already includes a harmful provision that prevents the use of the CBP One app to facilitate the parole of migrants into the United States. Setting aside the redundancy of this provision, it is worth spending a moment discussing the harmful impact of preventing this program to continue. The parole process in place for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans provides the Department an opportunity to provide an alternative to the dangerous journeys that many migrants resort to taking to flee from persecution and dangerous conditions. It also enhances our security posture because it allows the Department to vet people before they arrive. It has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of these individuals being encountered between ports of entry at our southern border, which helps with having a more orderly and less chaotic border environment. I really do wish my colleagues across the aisle, who talk all the time about wanting to secure the border, would start working with Democrats to provide DHS the resources it needs and stop trying to prevent it from executing programs that are actually working.…”