The following is from Senator Marsha Blackburn:
On
Friday, I visited the El Paso Sector Customs and Border
Patrol/Department of Homeland Security migrant processing center in West
Texas, where overcrowded facilities can barely contain the illegal
immigrants apprehended each day. My visit came just one week after 1,036 people - the largest group to cross the border from Mexico - arrived there on May 29th.
Within
thirty minutes, I watched twelve people in three groups try to enter
our country illegally. One man who was trying to enter illegally told me
he had been following media reports and believed that he could stay
once he had crossed. Based on media reports, migrants are aware that
pregnant women and families are able to enter the United States more
easily and they are using these loopholes to their advantage.
On Friday alone, five kilograms of fentanyl was seized - that is enough to kill nearly 2 million Americans. Opioid addiction is ravaging the United States. We cannot address
this public health crisis if we do not cut off the major influx of these
deadly drugs at the southern border.
The
border patrol agents are crystal clear about the need for
more resources, including and especially additional agents. While
technology is helpful, it cannot replace the physical human ability to
monitor, respond, and catch immigrants. Drug cartels use Facebook ads to smuggle migrants and bring drugs across ports of entry. CBP does
not currently have enough agents to staff the various checkpoints and
catch the criminal activity.
CBP
also needs more equipment and transportation capabilities, as well as
additional space to house illegal immigrants once they are in custody.
This time last year, the El Paso Sector had 4,733 family units in
custody. Now, they have a shocking 104,131 - up 2,100% in just one year. On top of that growth, the facility
is only capable of housing 125 people but is forced to hold nearly 1,000
migrants in detention facilities.
The
system has cracked. We have a full-blown humanitarian crisis on our
hands. Congress has to act, and we need to address all aspects of the
crisis.
In
the past couple of months, I have sponsored two pieces of legislation
that I hope will target important aspects of the border problem. The Ending the Fentanyl Crisis Act will ensure that sentencing penalties for trafficking fentanyl
reflect the deadliness of the drug. It's time the punishment fit the
crime for drug traffickers.
The Accountability of Care of Unaccompanied Alien Children Act will protect children from trafficking and further exploitation of the horrific situation at the southern border.
The Accountability of Care of Unaccompanied Alien Children Act will protect children from trafficking and further exploitation of the horrific situation at the southern border.
I
will continue supporting legislation that addresses all aspects of this
complex immigration crisis. We cannot have national security without
border security. Until our border is secure, every state is a border
state and every town is a border town.
STAY IN TOUCH
As a reminder, you can reach any of my six offices in Tennessee to share a concern or request assistance with a federal agency. The phone number for my Washington D.C. office is 202-224-3344 , the same number previously used by Senators Bob Corker and Bill Frist.
Be sure to follow my work on behalf of Tennesseans on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/marshablackburn
Twitter: @MarshaBlackburn
Instagram: @MarshaBlackburn
My Best,
Marsha
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