WASHINGTON – Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas issued a statement regarding the Senate vote on the Bipartisan Border Security Agreement on May 23, 2024.
"The bipartisan border security legislation would deliver the strongest border enforcement tools in thirty years. It would make significant changes to our broken immigration system, greatly accelerating the federal government’s ability to remove more quickly individuals who have illegally entered the United States and do not have a legal right to stay. It would also equip the federal government with the resources to provide humanitarian relief more quickly to those who qualify for it under the law."
Mayorkas highlighted that the legislation would bolster personnel numbers significantly: "The bipartisan border security legislation would provide resources for more than 1,500 additional U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, more than 1,200 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, more than 4,300 additional asylum officers, and 100 additional immigration judges. The broken immigration system would be significantly repaired, cases would move more quickly, and the staggering immigration court backlog would be addressed."
He emphasized that stronger enforcement could deter illegal migration: "Importantly, as a result of the strong border enforcement tools that the bipartisan border security legislation would deliver, fewer migrants would attempt the journey to the southern border in the first place. The consequences of illegal entry would be delivered more quickly, and it is proven that the swift delivery of consequences under the law deters irregular migration to our southern border."
Mayorkas credited bipartisan efforts for this legislative development: "The bipartisan security legislation is the result of months of hard work by both Republican and Democratic Senators and members of the Biden-Harris Administration. Everyone agrees that our immigration system is fundamentally broken and has been for decades. This legislation would significantly fix it and provide the heroic workforce of the Department of Homeland Security with tools and resources they need and deserve to do their jobs and advance safety and security for American people."
He urged Congress to take action: "Only Congress can fix our broken immigration system. I urge Congress to do so. In the meantime, we will continue to enforce law with full force with limited resources we have. Our personnel have done so remarkably. Over past twelve months alone, we have removed or returned more than 720,000 migrants who did not have a legal basis to stay in United States; more than any year since 2011."
Concluding his statement, Mayorkas said: "The American people deserve an immigration system that works; enhances our security; delivers humanitarian relief that a functioning asylum system is designed to provide. The bipartisan border security legislation does just that."
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