The passage of the Secure the Border Act is a major victory for House Republicans. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), who introduced the bill, spoke about the bill on Twitter.
Rep. Diaz-Balart stated that "while the Biden Admin continues to ignore the border chaos," House Republicans recently passed this measure that would "streamline our asylum process," and create an "efficient asylum process fro Cubans, Nicaraguans, & Venezuelans."
Rep. Diaz-Balart previously stated that the current border crisis was effectively a disservice to individuals seeking asylum from countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, while President Biden's foreign policy only enabled those regimes to further abuse their citizens and send more asylum-seekers to the United States.
While the Biden Admin continues to ignore the border chaos, @HOUSEGOP passed HR2 which
-Streamlines our asylum process
-creates an efficient asylum process for Cubans, Nicaraguans, & Venezuelans
-codifies the Cuban Family Reunification Program— Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) May 13, 2023
"The unmanageable chaos at our border has overwhelmed our federal agencies and prevented those with legitimate asylum cases, fleeing murderous dictatorships, from having their case heard and considered. In addition to the Biden Administration’s failed border policy, its foreign policy and record of strengthening regimes like Maduro and Castro to continue to destabilize these countries, pushing even more individuals into the United States," Diaz-Balart stated.
As such, the Act's rules for granting asylum have been tightened, with cases limited to those who entered the United States through a port of entry.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) offered similar reasoning in a statement after the Secure the Border Act's passage, saying while the United States has offered asylum to many people, "there comes a point where a process is being abused, and you have to put an end to it."
Diaz-Balart did not neglect to speak about the drug cartels when he introduced the Act, blaming the Biden Administration for enabling the cartels through apparent inaction.
"For the last two years, President Biden and his Administration have entirely neglected the escalating crisis at our border, and their lack of action has ceded all control to narco-terrorist cartels, who are now among the most powerful in deciding who comes into our country and at what price," Diaz-Balart added.
Representative Cory Mills (R-FL) similarly focused on the cartels in his statement after the Secure the Border Act's passage, saying he and several colleagues "sat down with leadership to negotiate stronger languages specifically targeting the cartels to ensure we were truly protecting the American people."
