U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer released a statement today in support of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023. The bill aims to address issues regarding immigration and border security, including imposing limits to asylum eligibility.
“President Biden has had two and a half years to fix the border crisis but has only made excuses,” Rep. Palmer stated. “Today, House Republicans took action to stop the chaos that is currently on display at our southern border. The Secure the Border Act of 2023 delivers on our promise to the American people to secure the border because the safety of our country is our top priority.”
Rep. Palmer continued, “The Secure the Border Act of 2023 responds to the failed border policies of the Biden Administration. It funds more border patrol agents, resuming construction on the border wall, and demands transparency from the Department of Homeland Security. The time for talk is over. The President needs to stop willfully neglecting the border crisis and act with the best interest of Americans in mind.”
Today, @HouseGOP took action to stop the chaos that is currently on display at our southern border. The Secure the Border Act of 2023 delivers on our promise to the American people to secure the border because the safety of our country is our top priority. pic.twitter.com/s96EL69hO7
— Gary Palmer (@USRepGaryPalmer) May 11, 2023
The bill passed the House just hours before Title 42 expired but is unlikely to pass the Senate. The White House has also stated they will veto the bill. Title 42 is the name of an emergency health authority. The Trump administration implemented it in March 2020 and allowed U.S. officials to turn away migrants who came to the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called it the “strongest border security bill to come through Congress in more than 100 years.”
The legislation would increase penalties for individuals who overstay their visas and increase the number of Border Patrol agents.
The bill would:
- require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume activities to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border;
- provides statutory authorization for Operation Stonegarden, which provides grants to law enforcement agencies for certain border security operations;
- prohibit DHS from processing the entry of non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) arriving between ports of entry;
- limit asylum eligibility to non-U.S. nationals who arrive in the United States at a port of entry;
- authorize the removal of a non-U.S. national to a country other than that individual’s country of nationality or last lawful habitual residence, whereas currently, this type of removal may only be to a country that has an agreement with the United States for such removal;
- expand the types of crimes that may make an individual ineligible for asylum, such as a conviction for driving while intoxicated causing another person’s serious bodily injury or death;
- authorize DHS to suspend the introduction of certain non-U.S. nationals at an international border if DHS determines that the suspension is necessary to achieve operational control of that border;
- prohibit states from imposing licensing requirements on immigration detention facilities used to detain minors;
- authorize immigration officers to permit an unaccompanied alien child to withdraw their application for admission into the United States even if the child is unable to make an independent decision to withdraw the application;
- impose additional penalties for overstaying a visa; and
- require DHS to create an electronic employment eligibility confirmation system modeled after the E-Verify system and requires all employers to use the system.
House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries stated in a press conference, “This extreme MAGA Republican piece of legislation will throw out your children who are fleeing, in many cases, extreme violence and persecution. They will build a medieval border wall… The child deportation act is not a serious effort to deal with the issue related to our broken immigration system.”
