The southern border of the United States is facing an escalating crisis: Over 6.2 million migrants have crossed into the U.S. illegally since the current administration took office, with an additional 1.5 million ‘gotaways’ evading law enforcement.
This surge, driven by what Republicans are calling a “policy choice” by Biden, has pushed detention facilities to their limits and created a massive backlog in immigration courts, ultimately making communities across the country less safe.
Alabama’s U.S. Senator Katie Britt, a ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, says she’s pushing for an end to the crisis – not a management of it.
“Republicans are offering solution after solution to President Biden’s border crisis, which recently shattered a new record of eight million illegal border crossings since this Administration took office,” said Sen. Britt (R-Montgomery).
“The American people deserve accurate, timely information on how this Administration is abdicating its obligation to secure our homeland and keep our communities and families safe.”
RELATED: Britt draws ‘red line’ on Biden’s border proposal: ‘He knows walls work’
There is currently only limited public data available on the total number of people who have been released into the U.S. under some of these programs. The Southern Border Transparency Act, cosponsored or supported by the majority of Senate GOP members, would force the DHS to fully report on how it is handling migrants encountered at the border.
“This legislation would further expose the fact that President Biden’s reckless catch-and-release policies have manufactured the largest humanitarian and national security crisis at the border in United States history,” Britt said.
The Biden administration introduced a program allowing migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to legally enter and stay in the U.S. for two years with instant work authorization. This shift, made without Congressional consent, can provide work status to up to 360,000 people annually.
The lack of comprehensive public data on these programs is alarming, GOP Senators say. There are no clear figures on enrolment numbers, status renewals, or eventual departures from the United States.
Also concerning, Britt says, is the indiscriminate release of individuals from countries like Iran, China, and Russia.
RELATED: Britt: ‘Human traffickers, cartels and terrorists rule the day’ under Biden
“You look at the drug cartels and what they’ve done with fentanyl in every community around this great nation. Last year alone in Alabama, we had to use Narcan 15 times the first two months of our school year because of overdoses on campus,” Britt said earlier this year.
“There is a mom, a dad, a brother, a sister, a cousin who is sitting around a dining room table tonight who is missing somebody because President Biden will not do his job.”
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
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