FAIR Congratulates Speaker Johnson: Real Border Enforcement Measures Must Be Top Priority as the House Moves Forward

The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), regarding the urgent need for Congress to ensure that meaningful border and immigration enforcement measures are included in any future spending package:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "The Federation for American Immigration Reform congratulates Mike Johnson on being elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. With a little more than three weeks remaining before the Continuing Resolution (CR) expires to keep the government funded, there is urgent work that must be done in the House of Representatives.

"Since the CR was approved last month, the dangers of our uncontrolled borders have become even more acute. Not only is there a humanitarian crisis, but we have significant public safety and national security threats against Americans. Iran and its proxies have issued overt terror threats against the United States and other Western democracies.

"Unfortunately, the response from the Biden administration has not been commensurate with the gravity of the threats we are facing. Last year, a record number of people on the FBI's terror watchlist were encountered attempting to enter the United States, and record numbers of 'gotaways' eluded apprehension. That is a recipe for disaster.

"Instead of decisive steps to secure our borders, President Biden is asking for more money to process migrants quickly and release them into the United States. We need real policy changes, not just additional taxpayer dollars to fuel the crisis. These changes must include requirements to detain and remove people who enter the country illegally, halting the administration's abuse of parole authority to admit hundreds of thousands of inadmissible aliens each year, and curbing the abuse of our asylum system.

"The House has already approved H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, a comprehensive border security bill. In light of the events of the past few weeks, it is essential that the new speaker insist that the bill be included in any final spending or foreign aid package that is sent to the President."

Contact: Joey Chester, 202-742-1827, [email protected]

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)