It seems that President Biden has forgotten that a secure border is essential to maintaining a sovereign nation. His administration's message that America’s borders are open has resulted in our southern border being uncontrolled. Human traffickers, criminals of all backgrounds, and those fundamentally seeking to harm the American way of life are exploiting and profiting from those who come to America hungry for freedom and opportunity.
As a Texan with Hispanic roots, I've carefully watched as the Biden administration repealed rule after rule, chipping away at America's sense of law and order. And I've had enough.
In Texas, we are living with the consequences of President Biden's disastrous policy.
Americans across the country hear about the larger, long-term impacts from these chaotic policies, but less often discussed is the immediate and local fallout.
BORDER PATROL AGENTS IN TEXAS FIND MORE THAN 150 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN TWO HUMAN SMUGGLING ATTEMPTS
Parents, particularly those in our border cities, live with the worry that their children will get swept up in the brutal cartel turf wars that have easily migrated into our state.
Families worry that local law enforcement cannot respond to everyday emergencies because they're tied up chasing down the roughly 2,000 pounds of harmful and illegal substances hauled across the border every month.
What needs to happen on the border is fairly simple and can be done relatively quickly.
First, we must finish the wall—both physical and virtual. In recent months we watched as the federal government fenced off the United States Capitol with razor wire and deployed the National Guard. Our Southern border is no less important and needs to be secured. Yet the Biden Administration has stopped all progress on finishing the wall and securing our southern border to keep human traffickers, drug cartels, and criminals out.
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Second, we must reform our asylum laws. Our immigration system is fundamentally broken. If you cross the border illegally, you can claim asylum. There is no incentive to immigrate through proper channels. It takes years for an asylum case to be adjudicated, with many never showing up for their court date. It is imperative that we eliminate loopholes in the asylum system. Asylum is supposed to be the last resort for people looking to escape desperate situations. Instead, it's become the first option.
Third, we must restore the Migrant Protection Protocols and the "Remain in Mexico" policy. This will help control the flow of people and restore a sense of order to the border. The repeal of the Trump administration's policies has allowed unaccompanied minors to stay in the US with no repercussion, directly resulting in even more children being smuggled across our border.
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Beyond these common-sense policies at the border, we need to have a conversation about how we fully integrate everyone into the American family.
With the growth of the outrageous critical race theory and its attempts to make everything about the color of one's skin, we need to push back and make everything about America. "Out of many, one" is a national motto for a reason. It means that when people legally come to America, they are more than just their ethnic heritage—they become Americans.
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Too many on the Left don't want this. They don't believe that assimilating all Americans around a common set of American values is the right way. I believe it's the only way.
I love this country. I grew up learning from those around me and my personal experiences that there is no greater beacon for freedom and liberty than the United States of America.
When our Founding Fathers broke away from the British Empire and a tyrannical government, they created something unique, incredible, and rare. And during my military deployment to Afghanistan, I joined alongside thousands of troops fighting for those very ideals and freedoms.
We need to teach American values to all Americans without apology and without equivocation.
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America was founded as a melting pot of cultures, and we're committed to preserving this rich blend of people, different in many ways -- but united in being American. The most sustainable way to continue this is by having an immigration system that is fair, orderly, efficient, and safe.
It's time to secure our border. Now. Before it's too late.