I got a response from one of the Texas Senators, it’s a pre-can response of course, but pretty interesting. Especially the portion I placed in bold.
Dear Brandon:
Thank you for contacting me regarding immigration reform and our nation’s refugee and asylum system. I appreciate having the benefit of your views on this important matter.
Immigration reform is about securing our nation’s southern border, enforcing current immigration laws, and improving our legal immigration system, including the refugee and asylum process. Our nation’s generosity is currently being exploited by transnational criminal organizations that are taking advantage of our asylum system to create a migrant crisis on our southern border. Policymakers must work together to uphold our reputation as a nation of laws with a functioning immigration system that both protects national security and meet the needs and obligations of our society.
For the past year, we have experienced an unprecedented surge of migrants crossing the southern border. The United States has always provided refuge to people fleeing persecution on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. This is the right thing to do, but we must reserve this protection for those who are truly persecuted, and not award it to people who are merely seeking better economic conditions. Unfortunately, transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) have cracked the code to our asylum system, and have been recruiting migrants to travel to the southwest border and make weak asylum claims there, tying up our Border Patrol agents with processing duties and making it easier for the TCOs to smuggle in narcotics and other contraband. This has overburdened our border communities, fueled our country’s addiction crisis, and endangered the migrants as well.
I am very concerned that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not taking sufficient action to prevent migrants with weak asylum claims from making the perilous journey to our border, and has eliminated deterrent measures. Despite the growing number of apprehensions along the southern border, President Biden plans to rescind an authority known as the Title 42 Order, which allows DHS to rapidly expel migrants who would otherwise congregate in border patrol stations and in ports of entry. The Title 42 Order is temporary and tied to the COVID-19 public health emergency, but DHS is unprepared to handle the unprecedented increase in apprehensions. Therefore, in March 2022, I led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to the Biden Administration from members of the Texas congressional delegation urging that the Title 42 Order remain in place until apprehensions drop to a manageable level. I also joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce the Public Health and Border Security Act (S. 2570). This legislation would prevent the president from ending the Title 42 Order until at least 60 days after the COVID-19 national emergency declaration is rescinded, as well as require DHS to submit a plan to handle illegal border crossings before its termination.
The Title 42 Order is not a permanent border security solution. We need a long-term, sustainable system that honors our international commitment to provide refuge and asylum to the persecuted, while ensuring that TCOs do not exploit our generosity. Last year I partnered with Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) and Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) to introduce the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act of 2021 (S. 1358). This important piece of legislation would improve both the DHS and Department of Justice’s capacity to manage migration surges,adjudicate asylum claims in a timely manner, reduce the impact on local communities, and protect our national security. I am proud to have earned support for this bill from Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this critical piece of legislation.
We must honor the sacrifices made by our border patrol agents who are working tirelessly to keep our communities safe during this unprecedented migration surge. To address this issue, I am proud to have introduced the bipartisan Border Patrol Pay Security Act (S. 3874). This bill would allow border patrol agents to receive additional overtime during emergency situations. It is crucial for the U.S. Border Patrol to focus on recruiting, retaining, and training the best agents that are paid comparably to their federal law enforcement counterparts.
For more information regarding what my office is doing to address this issue I encourage you to visit my website - www.cornyn.senate.gov - where you can find up-to-date information from my newsroom.
I remain committed to finding common-sense, bipartisan solutions to improve our nation’s immigration system, helping those fleeing persecution, and protecting national security. I appreciate having the opportunity to represent Texas in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator