Huntsville Item: OPINION: Addressing an unprecedented border crisis

America is facing a crisis along our Southwest border, as our nation witnesses the devastating effects of disastrous border policies. President Biden and his Administration have failed to acknowledge the deadly, record-breaking crisis at our southern border, created by his dangerous open border policies and refusal to enforce the laws on the books. There have been over five million unvetted illegal alien encounters since President Joe Biden took office. In April alone, there were 211,401 encounters -- up 10% from 191,956 in March. There were 16 people on the FBI’s terror watchlist arrested by U.S. Border Patrol at the southern border in April; that single month is more than all four Fiscal Years (FY)—FY17, FY18, FY19, and FY20 combined. And, in FY23, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized over 17,000 pounds of fentanyl coming across the Southwest border— enough to kill over 3.1 billion people. 

The current Administration’s refusal to work on substantive, meaningful border security reform with Members of Congress representing the communities directly impacted by this crisis is unfortunate. As a result, every town across our country has turned into a border town. We have an important duty to acknowledge and put forth sensible policy measures that will address these issues. This crisis cannot continue to go unchecked. Our families, our communities, and our national security are paying the price for the Biden Administration’s failure to secure the border, which has become nothing less than a full-fledged invasion. 

My Republican colleagues on the Committee on Homeland Security (CHS) and I traveled to McAllen, Texas for a field hearing on the border crisis where we heard testimonies from Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Texas Department of Public Safety, Kinney County Sheriff, and National Border Patrol Council. We also had the opportunity to hear testimony directly from Secretary Mayorkas, during which I challenged him about the ongoing fentanyl crisis that has been exacerbated by the Administration’s open border policies, while having two parents in attendance who have lost children to drug overdoses. 

The southern border is not just a national security crisis; it has led to a fentanyl crisis, cartel trafficking, spiraling child exploitation and taken root in our very own homes. Recently, on nearly partisan lines, House Republicans passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, a comprehensive border security package that will resume border wall construction, add reinforcements to border security technology, bolster U.S. Border Patrol staffing, and combat illegal immigration. It also included several provisions I drafted to increase transparency on attempted terrorist crossings. 

I promised to go to Congress and address the catastrophe Texas and so many other states now face. This was a major step in the right direction to secure our nation and keep Americans safe. The bill now heads to the Senate, where I hope and pray my colleagues will see the dire need to make this legislation law and make our country safe again.

Morgan Luttrell built a life centered around service. A 5th generation Texan raised on a horse ranch, at an early age Morgan learned the importance of hard work, discipline, and personal responsibility. He turned his strong values, deep love for America, and passion for helping others into a career of distinguished service. He can be reached at luttrell.house.gov.