Cheektowaga, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) - Security at the United States' Southern border continues to be a pressing issue for lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) was in Buffalo on Monday to discuss more concerns regarding the border crisis, and actions being taken to try and properly address the issues ongoing not just at the Mexican border, but also in communities across the country.
Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate have come out with a $118 billion compromise, which includes new border laws aimed at shrinking the historic number of people who have come to the U.S. border with Mexico to seek asylum. The package would send $20 billion to immigration enforcement, providing money to hire thousands more officers to evaluate asylum claims, add hundreds of more Border Patrol agents and help stop the flow of fentanyl.
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Langworthy echoed the words of Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, on Monday, saying this bill is an absolute non-starter in the House of Representatives.
"It leaves far too much open interpretation to the Biden administration, which we have already seen incredible negligence from in securing the Southern border," said Langworthy while speaking at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Monday. "It would effectively allow 5,000 illegal immigrants to cross our borders every single day. That's 1.46 million every year. This deal even allows massive workarounds on the caps, and just gives all the discretion to the Biden administration, which has already failed as time and again."
Langworthy adds this new package does not end catch-and-release policies that have been a major contributor to the border crisis. He says he cannot and will not vote for anything that provides amnesty and further incentivizes illegal immigration.
"This deal is a disingenuous attempt to address the concerns that the American people have raging right now. They're watching the footage, they're seeing the stories every single day, and watching what's going on at the Southern border. And they cannot stomach this going on any further," Langworthy said. "This is not an honest attempt to tackle that problem. We need to get to the root of the problem and shut down the border. House Republicans have been dedicated to fighting for border security policy since Day 1 of this Congress."
Langworthy also discussed further on Monday the House Rules Committee's actions to consider two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
"After a year long investigation on the crisis at the Southern border, the House Committee on Homeland Security found that Mayorkas is chiefly responsible for the chaos and the devastation that has unfolded over the past three years at our nation's borders," Langworthy explained. "The impact of this border crisis has reached far beyond our Southern states. As many New Yorkers have experienced in the last few years, the chaos that the migrant crisis is brought, the situation has escalated to such an extent that the State of New York is now spending billions of dollars of your hard-earned tax dollars to address the fallout of their sanctuary city policies and this Biden border crisis."
Langworthy feels the actions of Secretary Mayorkas put people that break the laws first, and puts the hard-working law-abiding taxpayer last. He adds Mayorkas' actions can't be ignored anymore, which is why the Articles of Impeachment are being pursued starting Monday.
As Langworthy explains, the first Article of Impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas is based on his willful and systematic refusal to comply with the federal immigration laws, and his actions that have undermined the rule of law.
"This is a direct violation of his oath of office," Langworthy said. "Despite clear evidence that the Biden administration's policies have led to unprecedented illegal immigration, the Fentanyl crisis, cartel control at the Southern border, and debilitating financial costs, Secretary Mayorkas has implemented Biden's catch-and-release scheme, violating the tension requirements and misusing parole authority."
The second Article of Impeachment, according to Langworthy, centers around Mayorkas' complete breach of the public trust.
"He violated his oath, as well, to faithfully discharge the duties of his office, and his statutory duty to control and to guard the border of the United States of America," Langworthy said. "When he first took office and abandoned the previous administration's policies, he failed to replace them with viable solutions that would enable the Department of Homeland Security to maintain control of the border. He also lied to the American people when he lied to Congress to downplay the chaos that he and President Biden had unleashed on our Southern border. And he obscured Congress's investigation every single step of the way."
Langworthy adds that Secretary Mayorkas has not acted alone in his efforts to undermine security at the Southern border.
"President Biden has repeatedly taken action to reverse Trump era policies that we know work. Illegal immigration was at its lowest level in decades, and he implemented policies that have made our nation a magnet for illegal immigration," he said. "Under President Biden's watch, more than 8.3 million illegal immigrants have entered this country. I'm going to repeat that: Under President Biden's watch 8.3 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States of America. House Republicans have identified at least 64 actions taken by President Biden to open our borders, wide-open borders since his very first day in office when he terminated the national emergency at our Southern border, and announced a 100-day moratorium on deportations and immigration enforcement. Everyday since then, he has funded sanctuary cities, he has ended Remain in Mexico policies in favor of releasing millions of illegal migrants into our country. This has resulted in dire consequences for the American people. From the deadly fentanyl pandemic to the outrageous attack on New York City police officers just last weekend. This is a crisis created by executive order, and the President has the power to fix it by executive order."
Langworthy further adds the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border can be corrected at any time, but feels his recent calls for legislation are too little, too late. He goes on to add these actions by President Biden are an attempt to cover himself during an election year.
"At the end of the day, the Biden border crisis has turned every American community into a border community, and it has destroyed countless American families in the process," Langworthy said. "The American people have had enough of the chaos unfolding at the Southern border, and they don't want the chaos coming to the Northern border, which is the new attack area for many of the cartels, as we've seen a 1,000% increase in illegal crossings in the last year alone. That's why the House Republicans passed HR2, the strongest border security bill in our nation's history. It has been sitting at the Senate, at the Majority Leader's office since May.
"That's why we're moving to impeach Secretary Mayorkas, and that's why we need to hold President Biden accountable for his role in this. They can pass HR2 and solve this problem tomorrow, today, tonight, whenever. It can be done, but the time for decisive action is now."