Over the past few years, our nation has grappled with an unprecedented surge in illegal border crossings. America is the land of immigrants, but our current system is broken and in need of serious reforms. Since 2021, there have been over 10 million illegal migrant encounters nationwide, and roughly 2 million known “gotaways” who were able to evade Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These are just the cases we are aware of.

The lack of thorough vetting at our southern border is unacceptable and poses a significant threat to our national security. Since Fiscal Year 2021, 382 individuals on the terrorist watch list have been apprehended at our borders. To put this in perspective, between Fiscal Year 2017 and Fiscal Year 2020, there were only 11 such encounters. If nearly 400 individuals on the terrorist watch list have been caught, we must ask ourselves: how many more have managed to evade CBP and enter our country with nefarious intentions?

Just a few weeks ago, we saw the consequences of inadequate screening when Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national who was on parole status pending the result of his immigration proceeding, was caught plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on Election Day. Tawhedi entered the United States on a Special Immigrant Visa following this administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in September 2021. During his time in our country, he obtained firearms and ammunition, arranged for his family’s relocation overseas, and was prepared to carry out a violent attack against American citizens.

This is not the first time our agencies have caught individuals suspected of attempting attacks on our soil. In June, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested six Tajik nationals who were planning a terrorist bombing. These men crossed our southern border, yet the vetting done by CBP failed to raise any red flags. This security failure raises serious concerns about our current screening methods.

Given the current backlog in our immigration courts, CBP has resorted to expedited screening processes, such as the CBP One app, to quickly process illegal migrants and move them into our country without proper due diligence. Catch and release policies have put Americans at risk and are clearly not sustainable.

Immigration is not a bad thing—it’s part of what makes America so special—but it must be legal and safe. This is an issue I continue to fight for in Congress, and I remain committed to finding common-sense solutions that curb illegal migration while preserving our sovereignty such as completing the wall and ensuring our border patrol has the resources they need. Border security is national security, and the federal government has a responsibility to the people to ensure anyone coming into our country has been fully vetted and is here to contribute to our society.