IN SPEECH, HYDE-SMITH APPEALS TO BIDEN, DEMOCRATS TO ACCEPT NEEDED BORDER SECURITY
‘Everyone Knows Our Border is Anything but Secure,’ Miss. Senator Affirms
VIDEO: Senator Hyde-Smith Appeals to Democrats to Accept Needed Border Security Reforms.
FULL SPEECH VIDEO: Senator Hyde-Smith Addresses Senate on Ongoing Border, Immigration Crisis.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today reiterated her appeal for the Biden administration and congressional Democrats to work with Republicans to secure the border amid continual, record-breaking border crossings.
Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, made the appeal in a floor speech delivered as the demand for border security reforms stymies efforts to provide additional defense support for Israel and Ukraine.
“I rise today to once again call attention to the crisis at our southern border – the very crisis the Biden Administration refuses to the acknowledge, and in not doing so, fails the American people,” Hyde-Smith said. “It is a simple fact: there is no national security without border security. And everyone knows our border is anything but secure.”
Hyde-Smith’s remarks enumerated the daily encounters at the border, including 10,000-12,000 daily recently, and the troubling number of “gotaways,” who evaded the Border Patrol to enter the United States—an estimated 1.7 million. More than 8.2 million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since President Biden took office.
Hyde-Smith also discussed the effects of illegal drugs and human trafficking in Mississippi and nationally.
“I applaud the efforts of Mississippi Highway Patrol and U.S. Border for taking action, but the fact remains if the resources were already at the border, this would have never happened,” Hyde-Smith said. “Senate Republicans have shown Americans time and time again that we are ready take steps to stop the growing threat at the southern border. Unfortunately, our Democratic colleagues will not take action with us, appearing to afraid to anger their radical base. Giving our border agents the means to do their job is not radical.”
“Fortifying our border by ending catch and release, closing asylum loopholes, finishing the wall, and supporting law enforcement officers is key to our national security, and we owe our citizens no less,” the Senator concluded. “I, along with my Republican colleagues, will continue to work toward solutions, and I invite Senate Democrats and the administration to join us so we can finally secure our borders, keep the American people safe, and alleviate the Biden-caused humanitarian crisis at the border.”
The full text of Hyde-Smith’s floor speech follows:
Mr. President, I rise today to once again call attention to the crisis at our southern border – the very crisis the Biden Administration refuses to the acknowledge, and in not doing so, fails the American people.
It is a simple fact: there is no national security without border security. And everyone knows our border is anything but secure. We have the numbers to back it up.
For starters, more than 8.2 million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since Biden took office.
To kick off Fiscal Year 2024, there were over 240,000 illegal immigrant encounters in October—the highest monthly total ever recorded.
This comes after a record-setting Fiscal Year 2023, which saw more than 2.4 million encounters. Of the 2.4 million, at least 169 individuals are on the terror watch list. But what’s really frightening is that these numbers only reflect known encounters, and doesn’t even include all those who evaded law enforcement.
Border officials estimate there were 1.7 million “gotaways,” any number of which could be on the terror watch list, living in our country, with who-knows-what intentions.
Even with all of this information available, the administration continues to break all the wrong records.
In the last several weeks, daily records have been smashed time and again, with known daily encounters ranging from 10,000-12,000. For context, President Obama’s DHS Secretary said 1,000 a day ‘overwhelms the system.’
We have heard from officials such as FBI Director Wray expressing his concern regarding the ability of terrorist organizations to exploit any port of entry, including our southwestern border. Warnings such as these should not be ignored, and yet, it appears this administration will continue to do exactly that.
But encounters are only part of the ongoing crisis.
In October, over 1,300 pounds of fentanyl and over 9,500 pounds of meth was seized.
And that’s only what was seized. Estimates show this is only 5 to 10 percent of the illicit drugs coming across the border. These drugs continue to run rampant in our communities at a devastating cost, including in my rural state of Mississippi.
The CDC says overdose deaths are up from last year, meaning more and more families and communities are being broken apart by the circulation of dangerous drugs smuggled across the border.
And even worse than the drugs being smuggled across our border, is the humans the cartels are smuggling.
Mr. President, I have spoken before about my trips to the border, one earlier this year, and the horrific stories of girls 12- to 16-years-old being smuggled against their will has stayed with me.
The human trafficking industry has grown in the last several years to $13 billion industry and this will only continue to grow if the border continues to be an access point for traffickers.
I do not blame the brave men and women working to do their best to help patrol the border. I place the blame this solely on the Biden administration and Democrats for their unwillingness to work in any serious manner to help secure the border and keep criminals and drugs out of our communities.
Border Patrol Agents are not given the resources they need to stop the never-ending onslaught of migrants, drugs, and traffickers. Even the “border security” provisions in the President’s emergency supplemental request amount to just more money to process illegal immigrants, with no real policy or enforcement reforms.
I am hearing from law enforcement back home in Mississippi and how this crisis is affecting my state. As many have said, today every state is a “border state” because of this crisis.
On January 18, 2023, a Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper made a routine traffic stop. In the vehicle was an illegal immigrant driving without a license, an additional three illegal adult males, and one seven-year-old migrant child. After Homeland Security Investigations was contacted, the driver attempted to flee on foot and was captured. HSI determined the child was not related to anyone in the vehicle. Charges are pending on the driver and HSI is attempting to identify the child and reunite him with his family.
In another incident on October 9, 2023, a Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper identified another illegal immigrant driving on I-10 in Jackson County with no I.D. A passenger, also an illegal immigrant, revealed they were on their way to Houston, Texas, to pick up another man, a woman, and three or four children. After a legal search of the vehicle, items consistent with Human Trafficking were discovered. A Border Patrol Agent was notified, and, turns out, the driver was a repeat offender of illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
If I am hearing from law enforcement in my state, I know my colleagues are too.
I applaud the efforts of Mississippi Highway Patrol and U.S. Border for taking action, but the fact remains if the resources were already at the border, this would have never happened.
Senate Republicans have shown Americans time and time again that we are ready take steps to stop the growing threat at the southern border. Unfortunately, our Democratic colleagues will not take action with us, appearing to afraid to anger their radical base.
Giving our border agents the means to do their job is not radical.
Fortifying our border by ending catch and release, closing asylum loopholes, finishing the wall, and supporting law enforcement officers is key to our national security, and we owe our citizens no less.
I, along with my Republican colleagues, will continue to work toward solutions, and I invite Senate Democrats and the administration to join us so we can finally secure our borders, keep the American people safe, and alleviate the Biden-caused humanitarian crisis at the border.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I yield the floor.
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