WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 16, 2023) – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Title 42 and border security:
"It's been five days since the Biden Administration ended the Title 42 emergency border enforcement authorities.
"By all accounts, the situation at our southern border is absolutely catastrophic – for the brave men and women of Customs and Border Protection and for countless communities across south Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
"As Title 42 expired on Thursday, officials in Del Rio, Texas, reported a one-day increase in border apprehensions of 75%.
"In El Paso, one area of downtown is rapidly being overrun by tents and garbage.
"One Border Patrol officer reports that every CBP enforcement sector along the southern border is now near 150% capacity.
"Sadly, what the country is witnessing right now is a slow-moving car crash.
"Republicans have spent years urging President Biden and his party to get serious about securing our southern border. And the American people have known for quite some time that Democrats' approach helped create this humanitarian and security crisis.
"On President Biden's watch, just last fiscal year, Customs and Border Protection recorded an all-time high for migrant apprehensions – 2.7 million.
"By the agency's own estimates, another 1.2 million 'got-aways' have successfully snuck across the southern border since the President took office.
"And the Biden Administration has made no effort to hide how little it cares about cleaning up the mess.
"Remember, for months on end, the White House press secretary assiduously avoided calling the situation at the southern border what it was – a crisis.
"Vice President Harris, the Administration's official 'border czar', has been to the border just once in two-and-a-half years.
"And when Congress asked the head of the Department of Homeland Security to account for the chaos unfolding on his watch, Secretary Mayorkas characterized functionally open borders as 'executing on the plan.'
"Apparently, Mr. President, Republicans are the only ones interested in getting the southern border crisis under control.
"Later this week, the Senate will vote on a resolution from Senator Marshall to remove a major pillar of the Biden Administration's open-borders approach.
"Our colleague's measure takes aim at a rule the Administration implemented late last year to severely limit what immigration officials are allowed to consider when determining whether a potential immigrant is likely to become a 'public charge' and rely on taxpayer-funded services.
"In other words, facing record flows of illegal migration, President Biden's response was to greet people at the border with food stamps and housing vouchers!
"Sadly, that's exactly what some would-be immigrants arriving at the border have come to expect from Washington Democrats. One Venezuelan man who made it to El Paso, Texas said he was told, 'they will feed you, clothe you, help you with your studies, and get a job.'
"It's alarming that Washington Democrats must be forced to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. The Biden Administration should not need to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to do right by the hardworking citizens of this country.
"So I'm grateful to the junior Senator from Kansas for calling the Senate's attention once again to the Biden Administration's shameful failure at the southern border.
"And I would urge each of our colleagues to join me in supporting his resolution later this week."
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