Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) released the following statement after voting for the Secure the Border Act of 2023. From 2019-2023, Rep. Fleischmann was the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee of Appropriations when Democrats controlled the House of Representatives and refused to secure the border.
“Today is a major victory for all Americans. After years of President Biden’s and Congressional Democrats’ open border policies, the new House Republican majority has delivered for the American People by passing the Secure the Border Act.”
“Since President Biden took office, over 5 million illegal immigrants have crossed our southern border, more than 1.3 million illegal aliens have evaded apprehension by Border Patrol, deadly fentanyl has flowed unchecked across the border poisoning American citizens, 80 people on the terrorist watch list have been caught trying to sneak into our country, and every state, including Tennessee, has been turned into a border state.”
“The cause of the border crisis is clear – President Biden’s and DC Democrats’ relentless pursuit of open border policies that have left our nation less secure and created one of the greatest national security, humanitarian, and economic crises our nation has ever seen. When I was the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee of Appropriations, the president and my Democrat colleagues rejected every attempt to restart construction of the Border Wall, increase resources and funding for Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, deploy new technologies at the southern border, and end incentives bringing illegal migrants to our country.”
“H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, delivers on our Commitment to America to re-secure our border and finally end the catastrophe at the southern border. This bill will resume construction of the Border Wall, end catch and release, increase the number of CBP agents, provide law enforcement with more resources, deploy needed technologies at the border, and mandate transparency from Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on illegal border crossings.”
“The American People want and demand secure borders. I am proud to have voted for the strongest border security bill our nation has ever seen. I sincerely hope that Democrats in the Senate and President Biden begin to take the border crisis seriously and pass the Secure the Border Act to give the American People secure and safe borders. Americans deserve nothing less.”
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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://fleischmann.house.gov/media/press-releases/fleischmann-votes-to-secure-the-southern-border