Every community is a border community

It’s no secret the situation at our southern border is out of control. Indeed, recent figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show record levels of border crossings are continuing, including a record-setting number of terrorist sightings and an increased number of illegal drugs found at the U.S.-Mexico border. But why should we in Central Washington worry about something happening thousands of miles away?

Because it’s affecting every single one of our communities.

With three months left in the fiscal year, southern border encounters have already surpassed the record-setting 1,734,686 encounters that occurred in Fiscal Year 2021. So far in 2022, almost double the number of suspected terrorists have crossed the border than during the entire previous Administration. And we’ve already seen the impacts gangs, drug cartels, and human traffickers are having on our communities.

Just last week, officers seized $1.2 million worth of fentanyl hidden in food products at the southern border, on top of the 504,000 pounds of drugs seized in FY22 alone. At the same time, U.S. drug overdoses due to fentanyl have skyrocketed, and it is now reported to be the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45. In Washington State, drug-related overdose deaths surpassed 2,000 in 2021, a more than 66 percent increase compared to 2019. Over half of these were attributable to fentanyl overdose. I meet with Central Washington law enforcement officers regularly, and a top issue plaguing their departments is the surge in overdoses.

Yet the Biden Administration continues to double down on its failed open-border policies and rhetoric which have given crime a free reign in every American community. The Biden Administration continues its efforts to get rid of Title 42, one of our last defenses against becoming an open-border country. And the Biden Administration continues to send illegal immigrants to cities across the country that are already struggling from the illegal drugs flooding their communities.

It’s not hyperbole when I say that every community is now a border community.

I’m continuing my work in Congress to protect American communities, and I have been successful. I included two amendments in this year’s Appropriations Bills to extend Title 42 authority until after the public health emergency relating to the Coronavirus pandemic is over, giving our already-inundated border patrol agents the time and tools they need to ensure our border is secure and our communities are safe.

I introduced the Upholding the Law at Our Border Act to require the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security to investigate the vetting and processing of migrants apprehended along the southern border and ensure that all laws are being upheld.

Just last week, I voted to approve this year’s National Defense Authorization Act which expresses the Sense of Congress that the current level of illegal crossings and trafficking on the Southwest border represents a national security threat. The bill also requires the President to report to Congress on the U.S. security relationship with Mexico as it relates to cartel activity along the southern border and impacts on national security.

It is past time the Biden Administration admit their failures and reverse these dangerous open-border policies. In the meantime, I will continue working to secure our border, support our law enforcement officers, and protect our communities.