TALKING POINTS ON BORDER SECURITY
"
Now is the time—this is the moment—to finally secure the border and create the lawful and safe immigration system Americans, and those wanting to become Americans, deserve.
"
--President
Donald J Trump
Our country is facing a
real and growing crisis
at the Southern Border.
- Every day, 2,000 inadmissible migrants arrive at our border and overwhelm our immigration system.
- We do not have the resources to hold them, and legal loopholes and activist court rulings prevent authorities from properly returning them.
- Immigration courts have a backlog of over 800,000 cases.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 266,000 aliens with criminal records in the last two years.
- There has been a dramatic spike in deadly drugs flowing across our border.
- 300 Americans die every week from heroin, 90 percent of which comes across our Southern Border.
- Customs and Border Protection seized or help seize 1.7 million pounds of narcotics last year.
- There was a 73 percent increase in fentanyl crossing the border last year.
- We face a humanitarian crisis as human smugglers exploit vulnerable migrants and profit off our broken immigration system.
- 1 in 3 migrant women are sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek to the border.
- 20,000 migrant children were illegally smuggled into the country last month alone. These children are used as human pawns by vicious coyotes and ruthless gangs.
President Trump has presented Congress with a
comprehensive, detailed proposal to provide the resources needed
to secure the border and stop the criminal gangs, drug smugglers, and human traffickers.
- The Administration has requested $5.7 billion for construction of approximately 234 miles of new steel barrier on the Southern Border, a $4.1 billion increase over the bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
- Ten years ago, 79 Senators - including Senator Schumer - voted for just such a steel barrier.
- To protect our communities, the Administration requested $675 million to deter and detect narcotics, weapons, and other materials crossing our borders.
- Among the Administration’s requests for more resources are:
- $211 million to hire 750 additional Border Patrol agents;
- $571 million for 2,000 additional ICE personnel;
- $4.2 billion for 52,000 detention beds, personnel, transportation, and detention alternatives; and
- $563 million for 75 additional immigration judges and support staff.
Now Is the Time for Congress to Act
- Congress has a responsibility to protect the safety and security of the American people and it needs to meet that responsibility by providing the funding needed to secure the border.
