WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA), the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Border Subcommittee, joined other Republican colleagues today to introduce the Border Security for America Act of 2021. The bill comes in response to the ongoing and worsening crisis at our southwest border.
In FY 2021, southwest border encounters reached the highest level in 21 years and the numbers continue to rise. Illegal crossings along the southwest border have reached over 1.1 million this year – up 362% from the same time frame last year. That number also fails to reflect the rising number of getaways who evade Customs & Border Protection (CBP) agents.
The Border Security for America Act of 2021 would:
- Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to resume construction on the border wall system immediately.
- Direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to deploy practical and effective technology to support CBP and Border Patrol operations.
- Require the CBP Commissioner to hire and train additional CBP officers and agents to maintain an active-duty presence at all U.S. ports of entry.
- Require increasing the number of officers for tunnel detection and remediation, agricultural specialists, K-9 units, and supporting officers.
Read the bill here.
Download a fact sheet on the bill here.
Congressman Higgins issued the following statement:
“The Biden administration has abandoned its essential national security duties at our southern border. We’re in the midst of the worst border crisis in our nation’s history, and it’s only getting worse. We need the immediate restoration of strong, deterrent-focused border security policies. That is exactly what we’re putting forth in the Border Security for America Act. Our bill helps address the border crisis, empowers federal law enforcement, and provides frontline agents with the necessary security tools to carry out their mission.”
