Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) of the House Homeland Security Committee stated that President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have "every tool" needed to end the border crisis but refuse to implement programs to de-incentivize illegal immigration. Green issued this statement in a press release on June 4 following the President’s executive order regarding new asylum rules for migrants.
"President Biden has effectively legitimized crisis levels of illegal immigration well beyond those laid out by the DHS secretary he once served with," said Mark Green, Chairman of Homeland Security Committee, according to Homeland Security Committee. "And this number doesn't count any of the roughly 70,000 monthly encounters through Biden and Mayorkas' unlawful CBP One, CHNV, and other mass-parole programs. The reality is that President Biden possesses every tool he needs to end this self-inflicted crisis—he just doesn't want to, because this has been intentional all along."
President Biden issued an Executive Order on June 4 that would close the border to those seeking asylum if the total number of daily encounters at all ports of entry reaches above 2,500 people and would not reopen until the daily average is 1,500, NBC News reported.
According to the National Immigration Forum, if the Senate passed H.R. 2, or the Secure the Border Act of 2023, it would restrict asylum eligibility, resume border wall construction, and defund non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that contribute to illegal immigration.
Green said President Biden's executive order will not stop the border crisis: "He could reimplement the Migrant Protection Protocols. He could restore Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Central American partners. He could finish construction of new border wall system that Congress funded years ago—but which Biden halted," in the press release. Green suggested the President support H.R. 2 to "end avenues for exploitation of our borders by the cartels."
In FY24 to date, there have been 1.5 million encounters at the Southwest border, according to Customs and Border Protection statistics.
According to records from President Trump's administration held by the National Archives, Trump led the construction of 450 miles of border wall during his administration. After construction, illegal crossings decreased by 87%. Under Trump’s administration, sanctuary cities were defunded, and settlements were made with Latin American countries to end fraudulent asylum seeking.
Mark Green was elected to Congress in 2019, representing Tennessee's 7th District. He is currently Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security and sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
