On the recordMarch 7, 2019
Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about what I believe is a real crisis at the southern border. I think there is even a case to be made that we have challenges at the northern border, but I want to focus on what the narrative here in the country has been over the past couple of months, weeks, or really years since I have been here--sworn in in 2015. I think it is very important. We all know that we have the Executive order from the President or the emergency declaration. He clearly believes there is a crisis at the border--so much so that he was willing to invoke an authority Congress granted beginning in 1976--the National Emergencies Act--and then amended throughout the 1980s. He believes he is within his authority to declare an emergency so that he can get resources down to the southern border as quickly as possible. It is no secret that I disagree with the method the President is using to provide funding down at the southern border, but make no mistake about it--I do believe there is a crisis at the border, and I take exception to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who say the President is manufacturing a crisis. I serve on the Judiciary Committee. I have since 2015. Yesterday, we got a briefing from Homeland Security that was truly startling in terms of the statistics on the number of crossings--a record number of crossings; severalfold; in one case, 10 times--over the past few months.…





