On the recordMay 13, 2022
As we break for the weekend, I remind the other Members of this body that when we come back, there is no greater crisis this country faces than the crisis at the border. I leave Members with just a few numbers that we want to turn around quickly: first of all, the number of people coming here who are not appropriately vetted who are sometimes referred to as illegal aliens; two Marches ago there were 11,000; one March ago 63,000; and the most recent March Border Patrol puts at 150,000. Think of that: in 2 years from 11,000, 63,000, 153,000 per month. And the Cabinet Secretary in charge of this says that he inherited a mess. He inherited great laws including the Migrant Protection Protocol, and now we have a true mess. The second number: 110 deaths in the past year in this country from fentanyl, a horrific drug, almost all of which comes across the southern border. By comparison, 57,000 Americans died in the Vietnam war. Twice as many people die every year in this country from illegal drug overdoses as died in 12 years in the Vietnam war. I sincerely hope this body will deal with the southern border and make it a priority when we come back. ____________________
