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Floor Speech

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Mr. MORAN.

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Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I rise today to continue the conversation that I have just appreciated hearing from my colleague from Texas, Senator Cornyn.

I am once again on the floor to call attention to and express my great concern for the continuing humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border.

Since President Biden took office, we have seen the largest year-to- year increase in migrants crossing our southwest border. Congress has provided resources for physical security, for walls and fencing and personnel; however, to keep our Nation safe and secure, we need to change the administration's policies.

While money and programs are important, the green light that this administration's policies provide to encourage people to come here has to come to an end. These are policies that encourage more migrants to attempt to enter our country illegally, and then, once they enter, there is no consequence.

I am increasingly concerned about this administration's carefree attitude toward those seeking to abuse our asylum system and increase the use of administrative parole. These policies bog down the asylum system, making it harder for those it was designed to protect and help to utilize it while also stretching thin our border personnel.

In fiscal year 2023 alone, the overworked men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection had approximately 2.5 million encounters along the southern border. The number of encounters in 2020--only 3 years earlier--was only 458,000. At the time, we thought that was a terrible number to deal with, but it has gone from 458,000 to 2.5 million in 3 years.

The vast majority of those encounters are with people who claim to be seeking asylum in our country. When someone arrives at the southern border, whether they present at a designated point of entry or not, that person only needs to say they are seeking asylum to be able to take advantage of the policies instituted by President Biden and by Secretary Mayorkas. Without being detained, these individuals are provided an asylum hearing date at some time several years into the future. Unsurprisingly--no surprise here at all--the majority of those released under this process then fail to report as they were directed.

In December of 2023, border authorities were forced to deal with more than 10,000 migrants crossing daily. In response to this, President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas suspended rail service and closed the international crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso. This greatly harmed our carriers' ability to move goods across the North American rail network and to the North American consumers who rely upon them. Closing the crossings limited grain exports from Kansas and elsewhere by nearly a million bushels a day, and it had negative impacts on many other agriculture commodities as well.

I raise that point because it is an example of where we are trying to take something from here to fix the problem there. That is not a plan or a policy, and it will not have a successful outcome because it is so damaging when we remove Border Patrol from a railroad crossing to try to impact the consequences of people crossing elsewhere along the border. I join my colleague Senator Ricketts in calling for Secretary Mayorkas to immediately reverse that harmful decision.

The magnitude of this crisis is felt all across the country, and it is impacting every facet of our daily lives. A high school in New York was recently forced to turn to remote learning for students because their classrooms are being used to house nearly 2,000 migrants. Every State is a border State now, and rather than providing tangible help to legitimate asylum seekers, we are robbing our students of their educations to make certain that migrants don't have to spend a night in a tent.

A historic level of crossings at the southern border has not only created a humanitarian crisis and put an incredible strain on our immigration system, but it has seriously compromised our national security. That is a topic of conversation here, as it should be, and I believe that our country is facing one of the most dangerous times in its history, with the forces that are allied around the globe to our detriment.

The border, our southern border, is a significant component of protecting our national security. The cartels that operate in Central America are sophisticated, adaptable, and ruthless. Not only do they take advantage of individuals who are attempting to trek to our southern border by forcing them to pay thousands of dollars to fund their operations and subject them to abuse and murder, but they use these individuals to their strategic advantage. They will send thousands of individuals across the border at the same time and attempt to overwhelm and distract law enforcement while cartels bring guns and deadly drugs like fentanyl undetected across those borders.

In addition to cartels, our national security is threatened by potential espionage and terrorists. The last time I was at the border, which was several months ago, I witnessed the apprehensions of two Chinese nationals. What are Chinese nationals doing crossing our border illegally?

As a member of the Appropriations Committee and as the top Republican on the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, it is a priority of mine to ensure our Federal law enforcement has the resources necessary to keep Americans safe.

Yesterday was National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and I use this opportunity to thank the committed men and women who leave their families every day to go out and protect and serve our communities and our country. In the face of risk and challenge, these officers continue to exemplify strength and courage and resiliency.

I can tell you, when I speak to law enforcement at home in Kansas, almost without exception, the conversation turns to the circumstances at the border and the consequences of the illegal activity that is occurring there and then in Kansas as a result of those border crossings.

Securing our southern border can't just be left to our frontline law enforcement to handle alone. It is also law enforcement across the country that is now struggling to make certain that the citizens across the country are safe from what happens at our border.

We must prioritize additional border security measures that include a physical barrier and investments in new technology. We must enforce our immigration laws and work to reform our immigration so that we reward those who follow the law, and we must disincentivize the illegal crossings.

President Biden's and Secretary Mayorkas's years of inaction in addressing this crisis have allowed a horrible--a horrible--situation to get worse.

I take this moment to thank my colleague from Oklahoma, Senator Lankford.

We are, hopefully in the near future, addressing the issue of the world, its condition, and what it means to the safety and security of Americans.

As I said a moment ago, I think we are in a very dangerous time for Americans. The future of our country, as always, is at stake, but with the actions of Russia in Ukraine; with what is taking place with Hamas in Israel; with China's desire to expand and spread its influence around the globe, to the detriment of the United States; and with Iran and its terrorist activities, national security should be a top priority. It is something that the Constitution of the United States vests in us as being our primary responsibility--to protect and defend the United States.

So we are in the process of figuring out our response to the circumstances the United States faces around the globe, with an effort to be supportive of our allies and to create challenges and difficulties to win over our adversaries.

I applaud Senator Lankford's efforts, who is negotiating a border policy to be included in our national security appropriations process. It belongs there. It is important there. It is a national security issue, and it is necessary to be included for us to be able to take care of the issues we face around the globe.

I stand ready, as Senator Lankford knows, to work with him and to work with my colleagues. We want to hold this administration accountable. We want to promote a sound border security policy, and we want to put an end to this crisis. We want to put an end to this crisis for the well- being of the people of the United States of America and my constituents at home in Kansas.

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