Republicans in the US Lower House present their vision on border security

The Homeland Security Committee of the US House of Representatives debated on Wednesday the content of a measure proposed by the Republican delegation that seeks to “cut off” the situation of irregular migration across the southwest border.

The Border Reinforcement Law 2023 proposes, among other things, to resume construction of 900 miles of border wall, hire an additional 3,000 Border Patrol agents, and limit the use of the CBP One app.

The Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP, for its acronym in English) expanded the use of the application in January for migrants at the border to schedule interviews with immigration officials to present their asylum cases. The law presented by the Republican representatives, seeks to restore the function of CBP One only for the processing of commercial entities.

“The Border Enforcement Act seeks to address the immediate impact of the crisis by focusing on mitigating and stemming the surge of illegal immigrants and drugs crossing US borders between ports of entry,” Congressman Mark Green, chairman of the Committee and co-author of the measure.

The measure presented includes a section that restricts the financing that the government could provide to non-profit organizations that provide services to immigrants who enter the US at or through border points, regardless of legal status.

“This bill is deeply immoral. It would wreak havoc at the border by essentially shutting down the asylum process, does nothing to build CBP’s capacity to respond to fentanyl smuggling, and blocks nonprofit partners from providing support services to noncitizens, including to those who are here legally,” said Democratic representative Bennie Thompson.

This measure also includes the allocation of funds to update CBP technology and invest in new surveillance equipment at the border. As well as the creation of a bonus for Border Patrol personnel as a “quota” for migrant apprehensions.

Carlos Gimenez, Republican representative for Florida, showed his support as a co-author of the measure and appealed to his identity as an immigrant to ensure that he understands what those who arrive at the border are “looking for”. “I represent an area in South Florida that is about 70% Hispanic, most of them immigrants, and we all came here for the same thing. We came for freedom, we came for opportunity. But we also came for one more thing, the rule of law”.

Democratic Representative Bob Menéndez proposed during the hearing an amendment to delete the section that establishes the continuation of the construction of the border wall. However, it was rejected by the Republican majority.

“I am disappointed that this bill puts politics over people, doesn’t provide real solutions to our broken immigration system, and does nothing to improve conditions for migrants at the border. This bill is a political staging,” she said.

The law also requires DHS to release to Congress monthly data on migrants who cross irregularly and are not caught, and which are not currently public.

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