11.01.23

Hoeven Pressing Biden Administration to Secure the Border as the U.S. Works to Aid Israel, Ukraine

Senator Highlights Illegal Crossings by Those on Terror Watch List, Calls for Assurances that Law Will Be Enforced & the Border Secured

WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven pressed Biden administration officials to secure the border and enforce the law. The senator made the remarks as part of a hearing to review the administration’s supplemental funding request for aid to Israel and Ukraine. Hoeven affirmed the United States’ commitment to the security of its ally Israel and the need to push back on the aggressions of the Putin regime, while also:

  • Outlining a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that a record number of individuals from the terror watch list attempted to cross into the United States in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023.
    • In September, Customs and Border Protection encountered a monthly record of nearly 270,000 individuals attempting to enter the U.S. illegally.
    • This brings the total illegal crossings for FY2023 to almost 2.5 million, a record high.
  • Pressing for assurances that any funding in the administration’s supplemental funding request to address illegal immigration will be used:
    • To stem the flow of illegal crossing across the nation’s southern.
    • Not for policies that will incentivize further illegal immigration, exacerbating the humanitarian and security crisis at the nation’s southern border.

“Border security is national security, and as we discuss policies and assistance to protect national security abroad, Americans want to know what steps are being taken to secure the homeland,” said Hoeven. “We remain committed to supporting Israel’s right to self-defense and its efforts to remove Hamas from power, and we recognize the need to push back on Putin’s aggression. At the same time, we need assurances from the Biden administration that they will actually use the funding requested to secure our borders and enforce the law. This is more important than ever as we see illegal crossings reach record numbers, and we know that terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah are aware of these vulnerabilities.”

The hearing comes as the latest in Hoeven’s efforts to stop this crisis and combat cartels from trafficking people and drugs into the U.S. To this end, Hoeven is pressing the Biden administration to:

  • Reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) or Remain in Mexico Policy, which required people seeking asylum at the southern border to wait in Mexico while their case was adjudicated.
  • Strictly Enforce the Safe Third Country Agreements requiring that those coming from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala seek asylum there first, otherwise be returned to await the outcome of their claims. 
  • Complete construction of the border wall at the nation’s southern border and put in place the technology, infrastructure and personnel needed to secure the border, utilizing funding Congress has already appropriated.

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