On Thursday, President Biden visited the southern border. This is only his second visit since he took office.

In January, there were 176,205 illegal alien encounters at the southern border, making it the 35th straight month where encounters have been higher than any month during the previous administration. January’s numbers add to the already unfathomable number of illegal crossings we have experienced under President Biden with over 7.2 million illegal crossings of the southern border and 8.7 million crossings nationwide in just three years.

Last year, House Republicans passed H.R.2 - the Secure the Border Act of 2023, the most comprehensive border security package in American history. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats have refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Refusal to pass H.R.2 will only allow Biden’s border crisis to continue to grow, threatening the safety and security of Americans and their families.

The Secure the Border Act of 2023 would:

• Force the Biden administration to restart construction of the border wall
• Deploy technology to the southern and northern borders
• Increase the number of Border Patrol agents and provide bonus pay
• Require transparency regarding illegal crossings from the Department of Homeland Security
• Strengthen current law to protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking
• End catch and release
• End abuse of executive immigration authority
• Strengthen and streamline the asylum process

Border security is national security, and we must have a strong border to keep our nation safe. I will continue to work with my Republican colleagues to hold the Biden administration accountable for their gross mismanagement of our southern border.