Secure the Border Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. CASAR. Mr. Speaker, I am the son of immigrants and proud to represent the heart of Texas here in the United States Congress. For generations, my family has moved back and forth between Texas and Mexico, Mexico and Texas. People immigrate. Sometimes they are in search of safety, and sometimes it is for economic opportunity, but always for family and a better life.

What folks aren't immigrating for is to bring fentanyl into the country as folks on the other side of the aisle have been talking about time after time after time. In committee it was laid out very clearly that over 90 percent of folks arrested for fentanyl trafficking are U.S. citizens and lawful residents.

That is why this Republican anti-immigrant bill, H.R. 2, is cruel, extreme, and not based on fact. It would destroy the asylum system, cage children and families indefinitely, and make the situation at our border worse.

In fact, this bill would eliminate funding for much of the remaining legal immigration system that we have, leading to chaos, but chaos, unfortunately, is what top Republican officials want. They want the immigration system to stay broken so that they can blame Democrats for it. This is a case of arsonists blaming the firefighters for the flames.

For example, Congressman Castro and I worked with the Biden administration to expedite funding to Texas this month to ensure that migrants can sleep in a safe shelter while they process their immigration case instead of being in a tent on the border. In stark contrast, this Republican bill in front of us today would ban this source for shelters and services.

Immigrants sleeping on the streets of Texas may be a better shot for FOX News cameras, but it is a much worse deal for everyday people.

In Texas we are still mourning those killed by a mass shooter in Allen. We are seeking justice for the kids and the teachers killed in Uvalde. We haven't fixed our electric grid, and people are struggling to pay their rent and their mortgage. We need help from this Congress, but instead we get hate for immigrants. We should be creating an economy that works for everyone--immigrant and native-born.

We should be expanding our freedoms, not ripping away peoples' rights. Let's welcome asylum seekers fleeing violence and catastrophe with a safe and orderly system. Let's create pathways for legal immigration rather than the broken system today that forces people to go around the rules. Let's work toward a safer and more just and more prosperous Western Hemisphere so that we reduce those factors that are pushing mass migration.

Let's look at the role of U.S. sanctions that starve people abroad instead of feeding them. Let's recognize that immigrants are a key part of our past and our present in this country.

Many of our joint faith traditions call for us to care for our neighbors near and far. I remember when my priest told me the story of how the Holy family was persecuted by King Herod and how Jesus, Mary, and Joseph had to flee across the border into Egypt. They had to cross a big river. The priest said that he forgets whether the river was called the Nile or the Rio Grande, but that is beside the point. Today, our story is no different.

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