Our nation is experiencing a historic border crisis that has turned every state into a border state, including Wisconsin. Since Joe Biden took office, there have been 7.8 million illegal alien encounters nationwide, with 302,000 encounters in December 2023 – the highest number of illegal crossings ever recorded in a single month.

This week, I joined my Republican colleagues in visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas. It has been almost one year since I last visited the southern border, and I didn’t think the illegal alien crisis could get any worse – I was proven wrong. The border patrol agents we spoke with shared that 90% of the over 7 million illegal aliens encountered have been released into the nation, with over 100,000 missing unaccompanied minors.

Our immigration and vetting systems are also broken. Those who illegally cross the border into the U.S. can provide a false name, birthday, and country of origin, which is then used to issue an alien identification number. This means we have very little information on the true identities of those entering our nation.

The House passed the Secure the Border Act of 2023, which I supported, seven months ago. Yet, Senate Democrats have refused to put the bill on the floor for a vote. Border security is national security, and without a strong border, we are putting every American at risk. I will continue to urge the Senate to pass this comprehensive border security package and get it to President Biden’s desk so we begin resolving this crisis at our southern border.