Congressman Tony Gonzales: Turns Out Trump Was Right on Border Security

Border communities have been the epicenter of America’s worst immigration crisis since the inception of the Biden administration. Every day thousands of migrants are breaking our laws across the entire southern border. There is no end in sight. Undiscovered, hundreds of thousands more have crossed the border to enter our country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has stopped nearly 100 terrorist suspects in 2022. Americans are now more susceptible to deadly fentanyl, criminals and other criminals entering our country than ever before. Cartels are stronger and more well-connected than ever.

The Biden administration has repeatedly shown that they have no interest in securing the border and upholding the rule-of-law. They have done nothing to reverse Trump-era policies, empowered cartels and put Americans at risk throughout their term. 

My community, on the other hand, felt secure allowing their children to play in their own backyards under President Trump. Property damage, high speed chases and drug busts were rare. Border Patrol agents weren’t overworked. Because President Trump prioritized border security and put America first, the Border Patrol agents were not overworked. To solve the border crisis, Trump worked hard and created a solid, fool-proof plan for border security. Bottom line: Trump’s border policies worked. 

Border security is the first step to restoring order at the southern border. Modeled after Trump’s border security plan, we must prioritize using Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to their fullest extent, ending catch and release, and constructing barriers in key locations along the border. 

Deportations have fallen nearly 70% since President Trump’s departure in 2020. It is clear that the Biden administration has abandoned its mission to enforce immigration laws. One of President Biden’s first actions was to issue a 100-day moratorium on deportations, followed by new ICE guidelines that granted immunity to most of the undocumented population. This huge pull factor has led to a record number of 2.4million apprehensions at the southern border. 

Biden’s administration also placed record numbers of migrants in Alternatives to Detention (also known as “catch and release,” This is a way to monitor asylum seekers without them being detained. But, of the 104,171 migrants issued a notice (NTR) to ICE in 60 days, over 47,000 did not show up between March 2021 and August 2021. During Trump’s presidency, migrants were returned back to their country of origin while they waited, making for a more efficient and safe system. 

With the Biden administration’s dangerous policies, deadly drugs, weapons, and bad actors are flowing across the southern border. Trump created over 400 miles worth of border infrastructure along high-traffic areas at the southern border in an effort to prevent illegal crossings. Illegal crossings dropped by 87 percent in the areas where the wall had been built. 

Trump did more than secure the border. He also tried to deter illegal immigration. Trump created the Remain In Mexico policy to deter migrants who make unrealistic asylum claims from traveling to our southern border. Biden has recklessly removed this policy. Migrants who seek asylum at the southern border are allowed to reside in the United States, regardless of how strong their claims. This is while their cases go through an overflowing immigration court backlog. They discouraged its enforcement before it was terminated. DHS was established in February 2022. reported Sending back a total 410 enrollees as opposed to 300 daily in 2019.

Furthermore, the Biden administration cancelled the Prompt Asylum Claim Review (PACR) which allowed asylum cases to be heard almost immediately, sending those who do not qualify for asylum back to their country of origin within days. Trump’s PACR program had nearly 40% of its participants in custody in CBP for less than one week. Since Biden cancelled this program, wait times have extended to an average of 4.3 years. 

I was elected by my constituents to Congress to leave politics behind and to deliver real solutions. This includes securing our southern border. We know what policies have solved the problem and which policies have contributed to it. Border security plans in Congress are not a common sight right now. The solution isn’t more plans but reimplementing the Trump border security plan that worked. Only when we acknowledge that President Trump’s solutions have been effective, and we work towards their reimplementation, will we be a step closer to a secure America. I will continue to fight for policies that keep Americans safe.

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