Rep. Matt Gaetz on Friday championed the House Republicans’ latest effort to stop the crisis at the Mexican border created by President Joe Biden.
On Thursday, the House passed, in a largely partisan vote, the Secure the Border Act of 2023. The bill calls for resuming construction of the border wall as well as creation of policies that would curtail dubious asylum claims and expand methods of deporting illegal immigrants.
“Under President Joe Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, our nation’s sovereignty has been defiled and our border has been violated,” Gaetz said in a message to constituents.
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“There is an invasion taking place on our southern border, and 700,000 would-be illegal aliens have been staging in Mexico waiting for the lapse of Title 42, which occurred [Thursday]. This is now overwhelming our border even further,” he added. “That’s why I voted YES to pass H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023.”
The bill, filed by GOP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Miami, would do the following:
- Requires the Department of Homeland Security to resume construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border;
- Authorizes grants to law enforcement agencies for border security operations;
- Prohibits DHS from processing illegals who enter at points that are not designated ports of entry, and limits asylum eligibility to immigrants who arrive at a port of entry;
- Authorizes the government to ship illegals a country other than their country of nationality or last lawful residence;
- Expands the types of crimes that disqualify an immigrant from claiming asylum, such as a conviction for DUI that causes another person serious bodily injury or death;
- Authorizes DHS to stop accepting immigrants if that is necessary to retain “operational control” of the border;
- Prohibits states from imposing licensing requirements on immigration detention facilities used to detain minors;
- Authorizes immigration officers to allow unaccompanied illegal immigrant children to withdraw their application for entering the U.S. even if the child is unable to make an independent decision to withdraw the application;
- Boosts penalties for overstaying a visa; and
- Mandates DHS to create an E-Verify system employment and require all employers to use it.
“This bill would assist in ending Joe Biden’s border catastrophe,” Gaetz said.
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“It includes targeted policies to end abuse of our immigration loopholes and mandates the completion of the border wall. We cannot allow Biden and Mayorkas to succeed in their efforts to destroy border security, and I will do everything in my power to stop them.”
All Democrats voted against the bill, and were joined by two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and John Duarte of California.
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