Dear friend,
As we deal with an unprecedented border crisis, I want to let you know that resolving this humanitarian situation is one of my utmost priorities. I recently visited the border in Texas to see the crisis with my own eyes, and I am more resolved than ever to fight for immigration reform and a more secure border.
Border authorities are currently on pace to apprehend 1.35 million illegal immigrants this year, the most since 2000. This trend is also accelerating. May was the third straight month of 170K+ apprehensions at the border, which also has not occurred since 2000. Nearly 6,000 individuals are being apprehended per day. These numbers are historic and point to the ineffectiveness of our current border policy.
Beyond statistics, there is also a serious humanitarian crisis occurring. Thousands of unaccompanied minors are being brought to our borders by dangerous human traffickers. Many of these minors are being abused, beaten, or raped. As an American Congressman I have the duty of protecting our nation’s borders, but as a Christian I also have a duty to prevent such violence, abuse, and evil whenever possible.
For the sake of both our nation and the innocents being trafficked at our border, we must address our current immigration policy. The presidents of Guatemala and Mexico both recently declared that the Biden administration is to blame for this surge. Our government cannot give potential migrants the expectation they will be let into the United States with no consequences. We cannot incentivize human trafficking and other illicit behavior by simply allowing people into our country. The rule of law must be upheld, both for our nation’s sake and to protect the vulnerable at risk of being trafficked.
America is the land of the free, a beautiful country where native born citizens and immigrants alike can exercise their freedoms and build a life for themselves and their families. But we cannot ignore the dangerous consequences of having a weak immigration policy. We must strengthen the legal pathways to citizenship while also securing our borders to the utmost of our ability.
I urge my House colleagues to work toward a solution to fix the border crisis in a timely and efficient manner. There are many areas we can agree and work on to fix this and securing the safety of our nation should be a bipartisan effort.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my district office at (402) 938-0300 or https://bacon.house.gov/contact/.
