On the recordSeptember 18, 2024
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of my constituents in western North Carolina to highlight the dire situation at our southern border and to advocate for the enforcement of our Nation's immigration laws. During his time in office, the Biden administration continues to break records but not in a good way. Last month, Customs and Border Protection seized close to 1,700 pounds of fentanyl at the border, a 30 percent increase from just July. Over 200,000 Americans have now died from illegal drugs being smuggled across the southern border, and this number only continues to increase. This also comes after 3 years of broken border records and overwhelmed Border Patrol agents. Some of the first executive actions taken by President Biden undid the Trump administration's attempts to get the situation under control. Biden threw open the border. Whether he did it for political reasons or through sheer incompetence, it is costing Americans half a trillion dollars every year. Now, we have fentanyl flowing across the border, courtesy of the Mexican cartels, tearing apart families and the very fabric of our communities in the North Carolina mountains. Our border is being overrun with lawbreaking migrants, overpowered by drugs, and overwhelmed by what this is costing our Nation.…





