On the recordJune 25, 2019
I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for her leadership on this issue and dealing with this important legislation. Madam Speaker, I am always perplexed when listening to the arguments on this topic that we are not talking about the actual problem. So when we are talking about the facilities that need to have more supplies and more dollars for support, I agree. I don't think anybody in this room disagrees at all. But nothing we are going to do today is going to actually solve the problem. I have got an exchange here with a group of Border Patrol agents who texted me to say, about this legislation: This does nothing but perpetuate the catch-and-release magnet. While there are some good pieces to the bill, why are we not increasing ICE beds? Why are we providing taxpayer funding to educate border crossers on the asylum process? Why do we keep providing money to let people go that violate our immigration laws? This just provides more incentives for people to cross the border illegally. If this were to pass, why would anyone stop crossing? They said, this is what I refer to as completing the human smuggling cycle. Cartels drop off people at our borders, UACs, family units. Border Patrol takes them, then delivers them, engages with the NGOs. The NGOs aid these folks who are here, so they can reach their family members that are in the United States waiting for them. So the family members in the U.S. are the ones paying the cartels their smuggling fees.…
