Suffolk Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. -  On May 11th, 2023, Rep. Nick LaLota (NY-01) released the following statement after voting YES on H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act.

“Our border security, asylum process, and immigration system have been broken for decades and there is plenty of blame to go around for how bad it has gotten. Today’s Secure the Border Act takes real action to support the dedicated men and women of our Border Patrol, invest in technology to end this Administration’s reckless catch-and-release policies, and seeks to renegotiate proven policies like Remain in Mexico and the Asylum Cooperation Agreements,” said LaLota. “This crisis has become more than a border security crisis. This is a policy crisis and a humanitarian crisis that must be addressed. I hope Senate Democrats and President Biden will join us in working to secure our border and keep Americans safe.”

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

Background:

The Secure the Border Act would:

• Resume Border Wall Construction
  • Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to use previously appropriated, unexpired funds to resume construction on the border wall.

• Bolsters Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing
  • Mandates that CBP hire and train 22,000 Border Patrol agents, who will not serve as processing coordinators, to return Border Patrol agents to their Law Enforcement mission in the field, securing our nation’s borders.

• Modernizes and Enhances Technology
  • Requires CBP to develop a technology investment plan, while upgrading existing technology to ensure each officer and agent is equipped with the necessary resources to remain safe in the field.

• Demands Transparency from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  • Requires 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 seventh day of each month.

• Addressing Border Patrol Retention
  • Established retention bonuses for qualified frontline Border Patrol agents who serve a certain number of years in their role, to encourage Border Patrol personnel to remain personally invested in a long-term professional career.

• Supporting Local Law Enforcement
  • Provides 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
  • Reinstates the CBP One app’s function to its original intent and bars DHS from using it for non-commercial purposes, including immigration processing.

Original source can be found here.