Press Releases

Eighth District Congressman released the following statement regarding the border security bill that passed the House Friday afternoon.

“What is happening at our Southern border is a humanitarian crisis that requires an immediate solution and requires leadership to get to that solution. Doing nothing puts the well-being of innocent children at further risk, our national security a risk, and exacerbates the problem with our already broken immigration system. 

 “House Republicans brought forth and passed a targeted bill that helps secure our nation’s Southern border, helps solve this ongoing humanitarian crisis, and does not grant amnesty.  We prioritize specific, limited funding for DHS and HHS to deploy our national guard to the border, to ensure we are processing these children in the most compassionate, dignified manor, and to return these children to their families back in their home countries as quickly as possible. We also fix loopholes in the 2008 trafficking law that everyone agrees inadvertently contributed to the problem.

“I’m proud of my colleagues in the House for staying in Washington to craft a targeted, common-sense bill.  Unfortunately, the U.S. Senate has not passed a border security measure and the President has failed to act within his existing authority. I strongly urge Senator Reid to take up this common-sense House solution immediately so that President Obama can sign it into law and bring an end to this heartbreaking crisis.”

BACKGROUND:

In early July 2014, USA Today reported that President Obama wrote a letter to Congress seeking changes to the 2008 trafficking law that expedited the process of transporting the children who crossed the border back to their home country. (USA Today; 7/2/2014)