The strongest bipartisan effort to secure our border in decades will keep Americans safe

Congress has a responsibility to act now to address the crisis at the border.

If we fail to act now to control the border and cannot track who is crossing into our country, then we are failing our communities. Without secure borders, we are less able to stop the spread of dangerous and illicit drugs like fentanyl, crack down on cartels, combat human trafficking, or ensure that criminals and terrorists are not sneaking into the country. Republican Senators have been saying the same thing, calling for urgent action to address the border crisis, which is why it is shameful that many are now saying that they will refuse to even open debate on the bipartisan security package. 

To be clear, this legislation is the strongest bipartisan effort to secure our border in decades. It will ensure that law enforcement has operational control of the border, meaning that they can track who is trying to come into the country, assess any security threats, quickly determine who meets asylum standards – in days, not years – and deport those who do not qualify. And if attempted crossings get too high for law enforcement to handle, the legislation would mandate a shutdown of the border so that law enforcement personnel are not overwhelmed.