Secure the Border Act of 2023

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, at 11:59 tonight, we will see the end of title 42, and President Biden has been stepping up to meet the moment.

We secured additional border security patrol officers in our omnibus. We have a new parole program to help out with countries like Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti, where we are seeing a lot of folks come to the border. We also see 1,500 troops going down there.

In this moment, this body should be working together in a bipartisan fashion. We should be coming together with a supplemental to help with the funding that we need down there at the border, not a messaging bill, not a political points potshot bill at a time when the clock is ticking. This body could do so much more if we worked together.

I have been down to the border, Mr. Speaker. We know what works: sensors and technology to help make sure we have border awareness across the southern border; having more Customs and Border Protection agents to be able to work on apprehensions; and getting civilians to do processing of asylum. We should be funding a bill that does those things.

Mr. Speaker, we don't have the southern border in Florida. We have ports, and we have had a lot of challenges with those ports. This bill doesn't do anything for our ports. It does nothing for the ports of entry, our front lines in the Sunshine State.

We see Governor DeSantis, on the other hand, has a law coming in Florida that is going to attack hospitals. It is going to attack nonprofits. It is going to hurt agriculture. It is going to hurt construction at a time when we need to lower food prices and build more affordable housing. We are already seeing crops not being picked in the field as fear comes over the Sunshine State. Construction sites are abandoned.

This isn't going to help immigration at all. What it will do is jack up inflation and food prices at a time when we need to work together.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source