Last week, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., took to the House floor to denounce what he referred to as “the complete and utter failure of the Biden administration’s dangerous open border policies.”
Bilirakis highlighted that there were 221,303 migrant encounters at the southern border in March of this year, which is a 542 percent increase from March of 2020. He noted that over 2.4 million migrants have illegally crossed into the country since President Joe Biden took office, marking the largest surge of migrants in American history. Of this group, 42 were on the Terrorist Screening Database. Bilirakis pointed out that this number of migrant encounters does not account for the known getaways who were seen by border patrol agents but evaded capture.
“God only knows how many in this group may have terrorist connections or wish to do our country harm. The Border Patrol officials are working tirelessly, but the system is clearly overwhelmed. This is a glaring national security concern,” said Bilirakis. “As these illegal migrants reside comfortably in communities throughout our country, I am fighting the Biden Administration on behalf of one of my constituents. This constituent, an American citizen, has been told by the Department of Homeland Security that his wife and daughter who have fled war-torn Ukraine must wait outside the country for up to two years for a VISA interview. The only logical conclusion is that President Biden’s policies reward those who violate our laws and punish those who try to do the right thing. This has to stop!”
Bilirakis pointed to the “tragic example of the exceptional danger law enforcement personnel face at the border, with Texas National Guardsman Spc. Bishop Evans drowning…while courageously working to save individuals trying to cross the Rio Grande River illegally” while “the Biden Administration is actively working to repeal Title 42, a Trump-era policy used as a tool to prevent illegal border crossings.”
Bilirakis insisted that ending Title 42 will lead more to illegal immigration.
“Repeal of Title 42 is expected to cause another surge of illegal entries. “It is undeniable that the Biden Border Crisis is out-of-control,” Bilirakis said. “The Biden administration must be held accountable for the damage that has already been done and the horrific conditions it continues to facilitate.”
