Rep. Meuser Visits Southern Border
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Dan Meuser (R-PA) joined Speaker Mike Johnson and other House Republicans in Eagle Pass, Texas to visit the southern border. During the trip, Members received a briefing from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, met with local stakeholders, and toured the border with the Texas Department of Public Safety. This trip marks Congressman Meuser’s third visit to the southern border.
Since President Biden was sworn in, more than 8.5 million migrants have illegally crossed the southern border, and experts estimate an additional 1.8 million “got-aways” have evaded detection and successfully entered the interior of our country. Customs and Border Protection sources indicate that in December 2023, more than 302,000 migrants were encountered at the border – setting an all-time monthly record. This is a 308% increase in illegal border crossings from December 2020, President Trump’s last month in office. Further, December marks the 34th straight month under President Biden that monthly encounters were higher than at any time throughout the Trump Administration.
The border crisis created by the Biden Administration is a national security threat. Unknown individuals from around the world are exploiting our open border, and 296 people on the terror watch list have illegally crossed the southern border since President Biden was sworn in. In FY23 alone, 169 people on the terror watch list crossed the border, marking an all-time record. 169 terror watch list encounters are more than in all FY17, FY18, FY19, FY20, FY21, and FY22 combined. In November, CBP reported that 17 individuals on the terror watch list attempted to enter the United States. In addition to the terror threat, the open border has enabled drugs, such as fentanyl, to freely flow into our country. Tragically, opioid overdose driven by fentanyl has become the number one cause of death for Americans 18 to 45, claiming more than 100,000 lives each year.
Illegal immigration is costing U.S. taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars each year, and Pennsylvania is directly feeling the effects of the crisis at our southern border. A report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform estimates that 251,000 illegal immigrants now reside within the Commonwealth. The report states that Pennsylvania is paying an estimated $1.64 billion a year related to these illegal immigrants – placing the Commonwealth in the top third of states that pay the most. The average cost per undocumented immigrant living in Pennsylvania, along with their U.S.-born children is $4,845 per person.
Meuser said, “My visit to the southern border today confirmed what we already knew – the situation on the ground is an absolute catastrophe. The Biden Administration’s open-border policies have created a disaster scenario that is endangering American lives and our states’ economies. Their sad attempt to blame Republicans for the chaos is insanity, as they are the ones who reversed successful Trump-era border security measures. As a result of their incompetence, more than 8.5 million illegal immigrants have unlawfully entered our country and an additional 1.8 million ‘got-aways’ intentionally evaded detection at the border because they would not pass the Biden Administration’s weak asylum eligibility requirements, creating an enormous national security crisis. Drugs, like deadly fentanyl, are coming across our border in massive quantities, and border cities are riddled with crime. The state of our southern border is worse than it’s ever been, and it’s created a dangerous situation for both American citizens and illegal immigrants. There have been more than 800 migrant deaths while attempting to cross the border – there’s nothing humane about that. It was the Democrats’ ideology that the United States is an oppressive nation and their desire to gain voters that led them to open the border – and their plan has backfired epically. Even Democrat mayors in big cities like New York and Chicago are pleading with the Biden Administration to do something as their resources continue to be drained. President Biden and his administration have done everything wrong, and they have no plan to correct course. And rather than take steps to improve the situation, this Administration attempted to hide the border disaster from House Republicans today by transporting and redirecting migrants to another detention center as they approached Eagle Pass for several days prior to our arrival, stopping trains heading to Eagle Pass, closing the point of entry, and bussing hundreds if not thousands of migrants to alternative border crossings. The American people deserve to know that the Biden Administration’s actions are damaging our country, and they are intentionally lying to our citizens and hiding the truth. On top of all of this, Secretary Mayorkas seems more concerned about our border patrol agents using the correct pronouns for detained illegal immigrants than he does about securing the border. If Biden’s border policy is intended to secure the border, it’s a complete and utter failure. If his border policy is intended to let millions of illegal immigrants into our country, it’s a total success.”
This trip came on the heels of Secretaries Mayorkas and Blinken meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador last week to discuss the record-breaking number of illegal crossings, which on many occasions have surpassed 10,000 a day. Little was accomplished at the meeting, and Mexican President Obrador even suggested that American tax dollars be used to improve Mexico as a solution, rather than physically securing the border.
Early last year, House Republicans passed H.R. 2, the strongest border reform package in history. The legislation would end catch-and-release, end abuse of parole authority, reform the broken asylum system, restart Remain in Mexico, and finish the wall. Unfortunately, Democrats in the Senate continue to block its passage.
Photo Caption: Congressman Meuser joins Speaker Mike Johnson, Texas Border Czar Mike Banks, Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety Colonel Steve McCraw, and other House Republicans in Eagle Pass, TX to tour the southern border and meet with Customs and Border Protection officials.