U.S. House passes H.R.2, Secure the Border Act
Congressman Luttrell speaks on the importance of passing H.R.2 to District 8.
May 14, 2023 | Washington, D.C.
The U.S. House passed H.R.2, the “Secure the Border Act of 2023,” on May 11. Sponsored by Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), the bill addresses immigration and border security issues and imposes limits to asylum eligibility.
Features of H.R.2:
Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume activities to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border;
Provides statutory authorization for Operation Stonegarden, which provides grants to law enforcement agencies for certain border security operations;
Prohibits DHS from processing the entry of non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) arriving between ports of entry;
Limits asylum eligibility to non-U.S. nationals who arrive in the United States at a port of entry;
Authorizes the removal of a non-U.S. national to a country other than that individual's country of nationality or last lawful habitual residence, whereas currently this type of removal may only be to a country that has an agreement with the United States for such removal;
Expands the types of crimes that may make an individual ineligible for asylum, such as a conviction for driving while intoxicated causing another person's serious bodily injury or death;
Authorizes DHS to suspend the introduction of certain non-U.S. nationals at an international border if DHS determines that the suspension is necessary to achieve operational control of that border;
Prohibits states from imposing licensing requirements on immigration detention facilities used to detain minors;
Authorizes immigration officers to permit an unaccompanied alien child to withdraw their application for admission into the United States even if the child is unable to make an independent decision to withdraw the application;
Imposes additional penalties for overstaying a visa; and
Requires DHS to create an electronic employment eligibility confirmation system modeled after the E-Verify system and requires all employers to use the system.
Representative Diaz-Balart said, “I have asked President Biden this once, and I will ask it again: How many children and women do cartels have to exploit, smuggle, traffic, rape, and kill before the Biden Administration addresses the crisis at the border? How many young Americans have to die of fentanyl poisoning before they put a stop to this? The days of neglect are over. The Biden Administration must be held accountable. H.R.2 is a step in the right direction, and I urge President Biden to do his job and work with us to protect American lives and secure our borders once and for all.”
Congressman Morgan Luttrell’s contributions to H.R.2:
Publication by CBP of operational statistics - Requires U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to report Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) hits and whether the individuals were released into the interior of the United States, in addition to reports on numbers of individuals who “got away.”
Report to Congress on terrorist crossings - Requires a report to Congress detailing which terrorist organizations are attempting to exploit the northern, southern, and maritime borders to get their members in.
In addition to H.R.2, the GOP-controlled U.S. House recently passed H.R.2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act. According to Congressman Luttrell, this bill would save taxpayers $4.8 trillion over the next 10 years by ending reckless spending, reclaiming billions in unspent COVID funds, repealing “Green New Deal” tax credits, eliminating funding for 87,000 new IRS agents, unleashing America’s full energy potential, and more. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration continues to launch attacks against this legislation, claiming it would cut veterans’ benefits.
Congressman Dan Crenshaw on H.R.2 and combatting drug cartels
On the May 12 edition of Newsmax’s “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” Congressman Dan Crenshaw (Dist. 2) proposed how to battle drug cartels at the southern border, and discussed the impacts of H.R.2 and the impact of left-wing lobbyists on the border crisis.
Congressman Dan Crenshaw (Dist. 2) discusses H.R.2, drug cartels, and the southern border on “The Record with Greta Van Susteren” on May 12.