Grassley: The President and His Administration are to Blame for the Crisis at the Southern Border

Prepared Floor Remarks by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

The President and His Administration are to Blame for the Crisis at the Southern Border

Monday, June 13, 2022

 

As I have on a number of occasions, I want to speak once again about the border crisis created by President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas, and this administration.

 

The crisis at our southern border is one of the top issues I hear about during my county meetings with constituents in Iowa.

 

Iowans are understandably upset by President Biden’s policies that have incentivized illegal immigration and created an historic crisis at the southern border.

 

In the first 15 months of this administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has experienced over 2.7 million encounters with illegal immigrants at the southern border.

 

That number is staggering. It’s larger than the population of at least 15 states and Washington, DC. It’s almost three times larger than President Biden’s own home state of Delaware.

 

Make no mistake – this crisis is entirely the fault of President Biden and the policies of his administration.

 

Since taking office, this Administration has:

•   Terminated physical barrier construction at the southern border,

•   Severely limited the ability of ICE to deport illegal immigrants,

•   Attempted to terminate the “Remain in Mexico” policy,

•   Rolled back asylum cooperative agreements,

•   Openly supported sanctuary city policies,

•   Embraced mass catch-and-release policies,

•   Put forward mass amnesty legislative proposals that would do nothing to secure the border and

•   Attempted to terminate Title 42 without any plan in place to deal with the aftermath.

 

Therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised to see a record-shattering surge of illegal immigration at our southern border.

 

This is what happens when you make it clear that you have no intention of fully enforcing our nation’s immigration laws or cracking down on illegal immigration.

 

As I’ve said before, it’s an unfortunate reality that this president and his administration believe the surge in illegal immigration at the southern border due to his policies is a process to be managed rather than a crisis to be stopped.