Congressman Lance Gooden (R-TX) | Securing Our Borders

Securing Our Borders | Congressman Lance Gooden (R-TX)

We’ve made progress in our effort to end illegal immigration in recent months. Still, there is work to be done and the border crisis continues to demand our attention. I’m working with President Trump and my fellow Republicans to reform asylum laws, pressure other countries to do their part, and finally build a wall.

No previous administration has been able to do what it takes to fully secure our border. Therefore, we have to build an entirely new wall in some places and rebuild old, rundown barriers in others. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) finally completed upgrades to existing wall and completed sixty miles of new border wall. They’re on track to complete another 450 miles of wall by the end of 2020. These installations include advanced technology to assist in patrolling our borders, and in some problem areas, we will see a secondary wall added for heightened security.

The Trump Administration has developed “Remain in Mexico,” a comprehensive plan to fix our broken asylum system. Officials have sent more than 40,000 asylum seekers back to Mexico to await their court hearings. Those immigrants would have been released into America under the Obama Administration’s policy of “catch and release.” Under this new plan, there will be three ways of qualifying for asylum. Applicants must prove they were either denied a petition for asylum in another country, that they came through a country which does not accept asylees, or that they are victims of human trafficking. These stricter requirements will reduce the burden on our system from countries like El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Finally, through President Trump’s negotiations, Mexico has agreed to deploy 15,000 National Guard troops along our shared border to prevent illegal crossings. This is an historic accomplishment.

I support these efforts by our president and have authored and introduced two bills to address the immigration crisis. One would protect law enforcement officials who refuse to comply with the misguided policies of sanctuary cities. The second bill would protect children from human trafficking on our southern border. The number of border apprehensions is finally going down, but we must continue to ensure the problems in our immigration system are fixed. I firmly believe the American people will be safer because of our efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.