Restoring Order at the Border

• Last year, I made an extensive visit to our southern border traveling from El Paso, Texas to Deming and Columbus, New Mexico. There I witnessed firsthand the unacceptable catastrophe that Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas, and a dysfunctional Congress are allowing to unfold on American soil.
• I heard firsthand from Border Patrol, ICE, DEA and local law enforcement about the national security, drug and human trafficking crises overwhelming our country.
• I visited rescue missions and spoke with non-profit leaders dealing with the humanitarian disaster who shared how Cartels are profiting off desperation and committing atrocities against women and children.
• Shots are being fired at our border patrol agents and their safety is at risk. The Biden administration has allowed a war zone to break out on our border.

• The national security threat is higher than ever at our southern border.
  • According to the CBP, including got-aways, nearly 10 million illegal immigrants have illegally crossed the southern border Biden's watch.
    • This is a number greater than the population of 36 individual states.
  • Nearly 90% are reported to be single adult males of military age.
  • Terror Watch List apprehensions:
    • In 2023, at least 169 people on the terror watch list were apprehended.
    • In 2019, there were zero apprehended on the terror watch list.
    • Those caught are estimated to be a fraction of those successfully infiltrating our country.
• Border patrol reported thousands of illegal immigrants from Russia and China.
• FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned of domestic terror threats.
  • Special Interest Alien Apprehensions between 2021 and 2023 from the CBP list from countries known for fostering terrorism.
    • Turkey: over 30K and Mauritania: nearly 16K
    • Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt: over 23K
    • Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Yemen: over 1K
    • Iran: 695

• Drug Cartels are empowered by the open border:
  • Colorado has become the drug distribution capitol of the United States with drug trafficking flowing up I25 and out I70.
  • Fentanyl is created as a partnership between China who provides the precursors and the Drug Cartels that manufacture and distribute it.
  • According to the DEA, Fentanyl that pours over our border is the number one cause of death for 18–45-year-olds causing incredible devastation.
  • Cartels know the devastation of this poison and reportedly do not allow it to be sold in their own Mexican towns.
• At least three Cartels operate with impunity in Colorado, empowered by our 2019 Sanctuary laws limiting the partnership of local, state, and federal law enforcement.
  • This a large contributing factor to Colorado being #1 in violence crime among the 22 most populous states in 2023.
  • Colorado has also led the country in car thefts many of which are found south of the border according to federal law enforcement.

• The Biden Administration has overridden the normal processing procedures to accelerate the release of unaccompanied minors.
  • According to Border Patrol, this has led to hundreds of thousands of children being lost in our country, most likely to trafficking.
• Drug Cartels, dehumanize illegal immigrants they smuggle calling them “chickens” and their coyotes “chicken herders”
  • Their treatment of those they traffic is horrific and those who survive are often stored in stash houses with inhumane conditions.
• Those lured here by a false welcome mat, face a bleak reality of broken promises.
• American communities are being overrun, with their hospitals, schools and resources being overwhelmed often to the breaking point.

• Biden’s disastrous policies are undermining our security and our sovereignty.
• Biden ended border wall construction leaving pallets of unused wall materials sitting idle as our border remains open.
• Millions of taxpayer dollars that have been wasted cancelling building contracts, storing the materials, and selling them off for a loss.
• States trying to protect their citizens have been sued by the Biden Administration:
  • The DOJ sued Arizona to remove their shipping container wall
  • Texas was sued to remove its floating barrier along the Rio Grande
  • CBP Agents were ordered to remove barbed wire along Eagle Pass

• Setting immigration court dates years later for those released into the U.S.
• Granting legal status to millions of people who would not otherwise be allowed into our country.
• Transporting hundreds of thousands all over our country by bus and plane.
• Granting mass parole to 1.2 million people in 2023 alone
  • Under Trump, an average of 5,623 migrants were let in under immigration parole annually.
• Implementing Catch-and-Release
• Offering temporary work permits to tens of thousands of foreigners who make dubious claims for asylum

• Biden ended the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy that kept asylum seekers outside our country while potential asylum is determined.
• Biden has ignored the legal process of asylum which requires immigrants to claim asylum in the first safe country they enter.

• DHS under Alejandro Mayorkas changed Border Patrol rules of engagement switching liability to them instead of cartels and other criminals.
• Mayorkas promised 100% prosecution of anyone who assaults Border Patrol.
  • As of 2023, it was only 2% emboldening attacks on law enforcement.
• Border Patrol are overwhelmed by the sheer number of illegal immigrants and reduced to primarily processing not patrolling.
• Border Patrol has been demoralized by the Biden Administration repeating of false narratives such as the Del Rio “Whip-gate” fabrication.

• Sanctuary cities, like Denver, are luring illegal immigrants here with incentives such as housing, services, and other benefits.
  • Citizens are paying the price as millions of dollars are diverted from police and other programs.
  • Sanctuary city mayors then in turn ask for millions of federal dollars while blocking federal law enforcement from doing their job.
• Colorado became a sanctuary state with the 2019 passage prohibiting local and state law enforcement from coordinating with federal law enforcement.

As illegal migrants take over our cities, closing local community centers and taking handouts from the government, we cannot wait to secure our border. Our cities are being overrun and our infrastructure is being overwhelmed. In addition, our adversaries see America’s open borders as a vulnerability. We cannot wait until disaster strikes. We must secure our border now.

• In Congress, I will work to enact border security measures to keep Coloradans and Americans safe and restore our sovereignty:
  • Build the wall and expand U.S. Border Agents’ ability to patrol not process.
  • Increase ICE funding and speed deportation proceedings.
  • Close asylum loopholes and enact “safe third country” rule.
  • End “Catch and Release” and restore the “Stay in Mexico” Policy
  • Reclassify cartels as “Narco-Terrorist Military Organizations” to expand viable options to fight them.
  • Support states that are protecting their own borders and citizens, as the Biden administration has failed to secure our safety and our sovereignty. 
  • Empower DEA agents to stop the flow of fentanyl and other drugs devastating our communities.
  • End federal subsidies to sanctuary cities and eliminate incentives to illegal immigrants.
  • Ensure that local, state, and federal law enforcement are empowered to coordinate efforts.
  • Reform Immigration Parole and reinstate policies similar to Title 42.