U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) on Tuesday took to the Senate floor to blast the Biden administration over the crisis which continues to engulf the nation’s southern border.
In his remarks, Alabama’s junior senator outlined what he saw as policies that incentivize migrants to enter the United States through unlawful means as well as the security threat illegal immigration poses to American citizens.
“When their policies have failed and created chaos, the Biden administration has had a choice between doing what’s right and making our government work better, or shaming those expected to do more with less,” said Tuberville. “The Biden administration has always chosen the latter. The Biden administration routinely chooses to hide behind platitudes and broken promises instead of addressing the crises of their own making. And because of that, the consequences of this administration’s illogical and inconsistent policies will be felt by Americans for decades.”
He added, “President Biden’s weak border policies impact every aspect of our nation’s immigration system; but, the problems go far beyond the crisis we’ve seen unfold over the last 9 months at the southwest border.”
The freshman senator made mention of guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which ended worksite enforcement operations, stifling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ability to detain those who are illegally employed.
“Without the threat of removing illegal workers, this new guidance creates a pull factor, or a magnet, attracting more people to the U.S. through illegal means,” said Tuberville. “Illegal immigrants come with the knowledge that the consequence for breaking our laws under President Biden is a minimal or nonexistent pattern.”
Tuberville said that holding the status of being an American citizen is the most valued status globally, further stating that illegal aliens who have been “naturalized through fraudulent methods devalues our most sacred privilege” and that it “cheapens the inherent principles of our great country.”
The senator went on to note that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has seized more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl this year, saying that the “cartel economy is booming.”
“Earlier this year, CBP estimated the cartels make an average of $14 million per day smuggling people and drugs into the U.S.,” he advised. “The cartels are running a multi-billion-dollar business along our border, and the President is just letting it happen.”
Tuberville concluded, “Never before have we experienced illegal immigration on this scale, and it can all be tracked back to the bad policy decisions of the President. U.S. law allows for legal immigration, as well as pathways to work within the U.S. economy. When we allow people to continuously break our laws, we should not be surprised when more people join in. We should not be surprised when our laws no longer carry weight or authority in our country.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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