With Title 42 immigration order having officially expired, Americans around the nation are wondering how the federal government will respond to the influx in migrants coming across the southern border. Legislators such as Representative Cory Mills (R-FL) and his colleagues have issued a response.
Just hours before the end of Title 42, the Republican-controlled House passed the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2), which commands that Customs and Border Protection “hire enough Border Patrol agents to maintain a staff of 22,000 and develop a plan to upgrade existing technology to make sure agents are well-equipped,” according to NBC News.
The bill also directs Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to restart the construction of the border wall.
Not only did Rep. Mills and his colleagues issue a response through legislation, but the Florida Congressman issued a verbal response to the bill’s passage in the House as well.
“Title 42 was put in place as a public health emergency with regards to the pandemic. Today, given the tens of thousands of Americans that are losing their lives to the fentanyl crisis, it’s clear we still have a public health emergency due to our open southern border,” stated Rep Mills. “Not only are dangerous drug cartels bringing fentanyl across our border, which is killing tens of thousands of Americans, but we're also talking about violent criminals coming into our country.”
Moreover, Mills mentioned that himself and those within the Republican caucus met with party leadership to make target the ruthlessness of cartels. Mills added that the Secure the Border Act is “the strongest border bill in decades.”
“Since the Biden Administration refused to address this crisis, Congress acted by passing H.R. 2, the strongest border bill in decades. Before this bill came to the House floor, a few of my colleagues and I sat down with leadership to negotiate stronger languages specifically targeting the cartels to ensure we were truly protecting the American people. This legislation is an important step in the right direction towards securing our border, and I hope the Biden Administration does the right thing by putting the safety of the American people first,” said Mills.
The bill is expected to fail in the Senate.
