Brooks Takes Action to Swiftly Address Border Crisis

Statement

Today Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) cosponsored H.R. 5053, the Expedited Family Reunification Act of 2014. This legislation, introduced by Congressman Matt Salmon (AZ-05), addresses the current border crisis by amending the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to permit the prompt deportation of unaccompanied alien children (excepting those who are victims of slave or sex trafficking).

Brooks stated, "The Obama Administration is interpreting the 2008 law to require unaccompanied alien children from countries that do not border the United States to go through costly and time-consuming deportation proceedings before being returned to their home countries and families. The Obama Administration ties the hands of American Border Patrol agents by denying them the ability to expeditiously return these unaccompanied minors. The Expedited Family Reunification Act of 2014 clarifies the law to ensure that all children, regardless of nationality, be treated humanely and equally under United States immigration law."

Brooks continued, "Of the President's recently requested $3.7 billion from American taxpayers to address the current immigration crisis, $1.8 billion of the borrowed funds would go to house and care for these children while they wait years for their deportation hearings. This legislation would give immigration agents the ability to quickly and humanely return these children to their families without the need for lengthy deportation proceedings. President Obama's proposed remedy costs taxpayers $3.7 billion (with higher costs to come in future fiscal years). Immediate deportation of illegal alien children is much less expensive. For example, there are reportedly roughly 50,000 illegal alien children who have recently entered the United States. At $500 per ticket per illegal alien child, they could all be flown commercial air back to their parents at a total taxpayer cost of $25 million, even less if military air transport is used. It is asinine and an insult to America's hard-working tax-paying families to "fix' President Obama's border security incompetence for $3.7 billion when the same problem can be fixed for $25 million or less, a savings of more than 99% of the costs recommended by President Obama."

Brooks concluded, "This Administration's incompetence and decision to not enforce broad swaths of immigration laws is a direct cause of the immigration crisis occurring at our nation's southern border. Quite frankly, if America continues sending the message that unaccompanied children will not be expeditiously returned home, parents will continue to put their children in harm's way. I hope the House swiftly passes this piece of important legislation so it can become law. This issue cannot wait. Inaction is not the compassionate or humane response for these children."

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