WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Committee on the Judiciary Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) today released a report, “President Biden’s Border Crisis at Six Months: A Security, Humanitarian, and Public Health Crisis,” detailing the many actions taken by the Biden Administration that have resulted in the worst border crisis in 20 years.
“In just six months, President Biden has ignited the worst crisis at the border in decades. Starting on day one in office, President Biden in both word and action has put illegal immigrants first and Americans last through his radical open borders agenda. Under his watch, masses of children have been held in overcrowded facilities during a pandemic and past the legal timeframe, apprehensions at the southwest border are at a 21-year high, the human smuggling industry is booming, and deadly drugs like fentanyl are pouring across the border. Congress must conduct oversight of this gross mismanagement, but Democrats have refused to hold a single hearing. It’s past time for the Biden Administration to take the actions needed to restore order at our nation’s border,” said Ranking Member Comer.
The report chronicles how actions taken by the Biden Administration in its first six months have precipitated a massive immigration crisis and how Democrats have ignored repeated warnings from Republicans to the detriment of our safety, health, and the rule of law. After bold steps taken by President Trump stemmed the flow of illegal migrants coming to the United States, the Biden Administration has not only reversed course on measures seeking to stop the influx of border crossings but has instituted permissive policies and incentivized immigration through non-legal channels. As a result, apprehensions at the southwest border jumped from about 78,000 in January 2021 to roughly 190,000 in June 2021, the highest monthly number in 21 years. While this crisis rages on in real time, Democrats have no plan, and apparently no intention of acting to stop the Biden border crisis.
“Illegal immigrants are flooding the southern border in record numbers, yet the Biden Administration continues to ignore the problem and make the crisis worse by abandoning construction of the border wall, ignoring the needs of Border Patrol, killing the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, and ending interior enforcement. Unlike President Trump, who secured the southern border, President Biden’s policies put America last and incentivize further illegal immigration,” said Ranking Member Jordan.
Below are key takeaways from the report.
- President Biden’s policies created a security, humanitarian, and public health crisis on the southwest border.
- Migrants have repeatedly told the media that the reason they are coming to the U.S. is due to their perception that the Biden Administration will let them into the country.
- President Biden rescinded multiple Trump Administration policies that were controlling the flow of migrants on the southwest border—with no plan to replace them.
- Although the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed an injunction against expelling unaccompanied alien children (UAC) on January 29, 2021, the Biden Administration did not resume repatriating UACs pursuant to Title 42 authority, which led to a significant surge of UACs.
- President Biden halted construction of the border wall system despite a December 2020 congressional appropriation of $1.375 billion for wall construction.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) book-in arrests immediately plummeted after President Biden took office by 62% from January 2021 (5,119) to February 2021 (1,970), indicating that interior enforcement efforts were dramatically curtailed.
- Border Patrol agents are so overwhelmed caring for those aliens already in custody that an estimated 1,000 people per day are successfully crossing the border undetected, and without COVID-19 testing, or processing for Immigration Court.
- The Biden Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) strategy of simply relying on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to conduct testing and provide quarantine space after release is entirely inadequate, as migrants who test positive for COVID-19 can simply choose to leave for the interior of the country before the quarantine period is finished.
- The emergency measures made necessary by the Biden Administration’s reversal of illegal immigration deterrent policies have been an expensive endeavor, diverting millions of taxpayer funds from other necessary projects.
- While Congressional Republicans have attempted serious oversight of the Biden Administration’s immigration policies, Democrats have been silent and ignored multiple Republican requests to address the crisis.
- Democrats are in denial about the crisis on the border and its root causes, and instead, have actively opposed Republican legislative solutions, including fixing the Flores settlement loophole, reforming the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, and strengthening the asylum system to prevent fraud and abuse.