1. The Border Crisis Continues.

     2. Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.

     3. Weekly Roundup.

     4. My Contact Information.

Among our disastrous military withdrawal from Afghanistan, historic levels of inflation sweeping the nation, and a rise in drug overdoses in Wisconsin and beyond, it is unfortunately easy to overlook the national emergency occurring each and every day at our Southern border, especially as the media has shifted the focus away from this mess among so many crises. 

I have visited the Southern border four times this year to inspect the situation at various sectors throughout California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Visiting the border allows me to speak with Border Patrol agents on the ground and ask questions directly about their primary struggles with the influx of migrants coming here illegally. I can say with certainty that the current condition of the Southern border is dire. The White House deserves scrutiny for this disaster because the influx began to skyrocket as soon as President Biden took office. It is unfortunate for our country and the people looking to immigrate here that so many commonsense measures were undone by President Biden that have led to this humanitarian crisis. 

The reversal of many sound immigration policies has been costly. Historically, illegal encounters drop in the summer months when the weather is hotter. Unfortunately, that is not the case this year. U.S. Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed, having stopped as many illegal immigrants in the first eight months of 2021 than they did in the previous 22 months combined.

Here is a short list of some of the Trump-era border policies President Biden immediately rescinded, leading up to our current Southern border crisis:

• Construction of the border wall. 
• Permitting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize the removal of all illegal immigrants, especially those who committed crimes, posed a national security risk, engaged in fraud or willful representation before the government, or abused welfare programs.
• Declaring the crisis at our border a national emergency.
• The Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program, which requires that individuals seeking to come here illegally are returned to Mexico until their immigration court date.

The MPP program, commonly referred to as the Remain in Mexico policy, helped secure our border by disincentivizing immigrants from attempting to cross the border illegally in the first place. In August, the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end the program that requires people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum. Under a lower court ruling, the administration must make a “good faith effort” to restart the program.

Aside from this good news, the decision of the Biden Administration to dismantle immigration policies that helped secure our border compromises our national security and the safety of asylum-seekers. This axing of our immigration policies has deadly implications, ranging from the cartels endangering the lives of migrants seeking to make the trip to our border to fentanyl and other hard drugs being smuggled into the United States at record levels. 

It is an embarrassment to our country that we have an administration whose focus is to spend our country into record levels of debt and supercharge inflation rather than securing our border and protecting migrants. 

I am eager to work with my colleagues in Washington to improve the well-being of border communities in the United States, ensure the safety of migrants wishing to come here, and decrease the surge of illegal drugs crossing the border by way of the cartels. 

This past Sunday marked 150 years since the first classes were taught at UW Oshkosh in 1871. It was an honor to speak at this remarkable institution signifying such a historic milestone. Thank you to the students, faculty, and the entire community for including me in your history!

Molded Dimensions is a Wisconsin manufacturing facility based in Port Washington that creates molded products for a wide variety of industries. Earlier this week, I appreciated meeting the workers and getting a behind-the-scenes look at their operations!

This week, the Jewish community celebrated Yom Kippur. I wished all my Jewish friends observing an easy and meaningful fast. G’mar chatima tovah! 

I attended the Manitowoc Sputnikfest Festival and 5K with my friends from the Manitowoc Sunrise Rotary Club! Thanks for a great time in Manitowoc last weekend.

Last week at the Sheboygan Falls Oktoberfest, I stopped by to speak with residents of the 6th District and raise money to directly benefit the communities of Sheboygan Falls and Kohler. Thank you for having me!

I had an outstanding time at the Whooping Crane and Nature Festival with the Princeton Lions Club last weekend. Thank you for the warm welcome, and thank you for all you do for communities in the 6th District!