Sen. Tommy Tuberville introduced legislation Wednesday to help the U.S. regain control of the southern border. Fellow Alabama Sen. Katie Britt was a co-sponsor of the bill.

The Border Safety and Security Act is designed to place more responsibility on the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Tuberville (R-Auburn) said. It would give more authority to state attorneys general in holding DHS accountable if the department fails to restrict entry and detain illegal immigrants.

“Since President Biden took office, 4.8 million illegal immigrants — nearly equal to Alabama’s entire population — have entered our country,” Tuberville said. “The Biden administration refuses to secure our southern border, despite record numbers of deadly drugs, terrorist watch-listers, and other bad actors pouring into the U.S. unobstructed. Americans are tired of feeling unsafe in their communities and losing loved ones to drug overdoses. I’m proud to introduce the Border Safety and Security Act to regain control of our southern border, hold this administration accountable, and put Americans’ safety first.”

If enacted, the new legislation would:

• Authorize the DHS Secretary to suspend the entry of illegal immigrants at the U.S. border should the secretary determine it is necessary to do so in order to regain operational control of the border.
• Require the secretary to suspend the entry of illegal immigrants during any period of time in which DHS cannot detain such individuals or place them in Migrant Protection Protocols, or a similar program.
• Authorize state attorneys general to bring legal action against the DHS should the secretary fail to suspend entry without detention or use of MPP, continuing to place strain on communities, so as to obtain injunctive relief.

“The unprecedented national security and humanitarian disaster at the southern border is stealing lives, devastating families, and destroying communities in every corner of our country,” said Britt (R-Montgomery). “It is clear that the Biden Administration is a dangerous combination of unable and unwilling to get control of this crisis. This fiscal year alone, there have already been more than 354,000 known ‘gotaways,’ not to mention the hundreds of thousands of migrants caught and then released into our nation’s interior.

“I’d like to thank Senator Tuberville for introducing this piece of legislation to hold the Secretary of Homeland Security accountable and keep hardworking Americans safe. We must seal and secure the border and end the incentives that are fueling illegal immigration.”

According to Tuberville, 2.76 million illegal immigrants crossed the southern border in 2022 alone, and more than 1 million illegal immigrants have entered the country in just the past five months.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.