This Issue: House could be moving closer to addressing border crisis

Fri, Mar. 24^th

With border apprehensions exceeding 125,000 for the past 24 months, the GOP-led House of Representatives appears to be preparing a package of bills that address the ongoing crisis.

According to Punchbowl News, a D.C.-based online publication that covers Capitol Hill:

The Judiciary Committee had planned to mark up as many as eight immigration and border bills next week, the chamber's last session before the lengthy April recess.

Punchbowl also reported that those markups could be delayed until after the two-week recess that encompasses the first half of April. According to the report, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is working out a timeline with GOP Leaders.

Rep. Jordan said:

"We have eight pieces of legislation that we think makes sense and we're going to get done as soon as we can, but we're working with the whole conference," Jordan added.

Jordan added that the legislation has been drafted, suggesting that some, or all, of the bills have yet to be introduced.

One bill that could be part of the package is Rep. Chip Roy's (R-Texas) H.R. 29, the Border Safety and Security Act. The bill was supposed to be one of the first 10 bills passed by the GOP-controlled House, but it was met resistance from a handful of House Republicans and has yet to receive a committee hearing or a floor vote.

Rep. Roy's bill would force the Department of Homeland Security to follow existing law, and either detain asylum seekers or make them wait in Mexico until their court hearing. It would also give DHS the power to suspend all entries in order to gain operational control of the border.

We're hopeful that Rep. Ken Calvert's (R-Calif.) H.R. 319, the Legal Workforce Act, will also be part of the package. The bill would require most employers to use E-Verify for new hires within two years with an additional 6 months for Ag employers to comply.

Requiring employers to use E-Verify would ensure that illegal border crossers who are caught and released without a work permit by the Biden Administration, and the more than 600,000 gotaways over the last two years, can't legally obtain a job in the United States.

NumbersUSA was part of a coalition of groups that has sent multiple letters to House GOP Leaders, urging them to address a number of issues that have led to the ongoing border crisis and a number of border surges over the last 5-10 years. The list of issues includes: 1) addressing asylum fraud, 2) clarifying policies that deal with Unaccompanied Alien Children and family units that cross the border illegally, 3) ending the Biden Administration's abuse of parole, and 4) providing additional border resources, including more border barriers.

We'll continue to monitor the House's progress and share new updates as they occur.

ChRIS CHMIELENSKI

Odessa (TX) Online: NumbersUSA Vice President of Initiatives Jeremy Beck discussed mandatory E-Verify.

Although E Verify has bipartisan support nationwide, it has not been mandated, according to Jeremy Beck, a vice president and deputy director for NumbersUSA...

"There have been lots of attempts to do so, but it has failed despite it being one of the most popular immigration reforms that is out there," Beck said...

When people come to the U.S. from around the world, they do a cost-benefit analysis to determine if it is worth breaking American laws and giving their money to a human smuggler or into the hands of a coyote who might be working for the cartels.

"They're going to do that if they think there's going to be some kind of benefit to them at the other end of the line ... The benefit is you get to work in the United States, and even if you're accepting wages and working conditions far below what the average American would accept that still might be a pretty significant improvement in your own economic situation. ... So word gets around pretty fast, hey, America has this law that you can't work in the United States if you're here unlawfully, but they don't check and that message goes around the world and that's why people come here," Beck said.

Boston Man Arrested for Forced Labor

Jared Culver

Fri, Mar. 24^th

The casualties in the raging war on workers keep piling up. The latest slavery example comes from Beantown where the owner of Stash’s Pizza was arrested for forced labor by illegal immigrants.

16 Aliens on Terror Watchlist Apprehended Last Month

Thu, Mar. 23^rd

Since October, U.S. Border Patrol has apprehended 69 illegal aliens on the FBI’s terror watchlist, 16 of which were caught during February 2023 alone, according to new Customs and Border Protection data.

A well-managed immigration system will serve Americans and wildlife at the same time

JEREMY BECK

Tue, Mar. 21^st

An immigration policy that stops stealing wealth from Black Americans would also lessen the destruction of habitat that deprives our own ecosystems of the keystone species that keep them (and us) healthy.

Housing Inflation Marches Towards Madness

ANDREW GOOD

Tue, Mar. 21^st

Future demand for housing is driven almost entirely by immigration. Record housing starts haven't been a balm for affordability. Is there also evidence that immigration-fueled housing prices are driving inflation, even as many elites fret about rising wages? Well, yes.

Border encounters exceed 150,000 for 24th consecutive month

Mon, Mar. 20^th

Total encounters of illegal aliens at the Southwest border remained steady at 154,998 in February, marking the 24th consecutive month that encounters exceeded 150,000.