Suffolk Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, April 26th, 2023, Rep. Nick LaLota (NY-01) joined Rep. Mark Green (TN-07), Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, to introduce the Border Reinforcement Act of 2023. This legislation ensures U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), along with state and local law enforcement, have the tools needed to respond to the record-breaking border crisis created by the Biden Administration’s refusal to enforce our laws and secure our sovereign borders.

“For decades, our immigration system has been broken, our border has been overwhelmed, and Law Enforcement has struggled with the resources to keep us safe. Now, because of the Biden Administration's reckless open border policies and blue states’ sanctuary city laws, these problems have exacerbated and become the crisis we see today,” said LaLota. “I’m proud to help introduce a commonsense bill to support Law Enforcement, take on cartels, and increase funding for technology, staffing, operations, and security. It is critical that this bill is signed into law to keep Americans safe in their communities. There is too much at stake.”

To read the full text of this legislation, click HERE.

Background:

This legislation was developed with the firsthand insight gathered during the Committee’s border trips toEl Paso, Texas, hearings, including a field hearing in Pharr, Texas with U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, and conversations with numerous Border Patrol agents, border communities, and everyday Americans.

The Border Reinforcement Act of 2023 directs DHS to secure our borders by: 

• Resuming Border Wall Construction
  • Requiring the DHS Secretary to immediately resume construction of the border wall.
• Bolstering CBP Staffing
  • Mandating hiring to meet the need of 22,000 Border Patrol agents.
• Modernizing & Enhancing Technology
  • Requiring CBP to develop a technology investment plan, while upgrading existing technology to ensure CBP personnel are equipped with the necessary resources to remain safe in the field.
• Demanding Transparency from DHS
  • Requiring DHS to disclose to Congress and make public all monthly data, including monthly known gotaway numbers, which are currently not public, on or before the 7th day of each month.
• Addressing Border Patrol Retention
  • Establishing retention bonuses for U.S. Border Patrol personnel who meet certain requirements to keep them protecting our country.
• Supporting Local Law Enforcement
  • Providing increased support through Operation Stonegarden grants to local law enforcement jurisdictions in land and maritime border states to enhance border security measures.
• Limiting Use of CBP One App
  • Reinstating the CBP One app’s function to its original intent by barring DHS from using it for non-commercial purposes, including immigration processing.

Original source can be found here.