Jordan hopes to pass border security law, Democrats doubt he can do it

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia. Democrats had a chance to solve the problems of illegal immigration and drug smuggling on the country’s southern border, says Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana. Now that he’s chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the Champaign County Republican wants to try.

In his first hearing as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jordan invited an El Paso judge, an Arizona sheriff, and a man whose 15-year-old son had died of a fentanyl overdose to discuss the extent of the problem and how to address it. This.

“Our southern border, contrary to what the public is saying from Washington, D.C., is in the worst condition I have ever seen,” testified Mark Dannels, Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona. “In terms of public safety, national security and humanitarian aid, our southern border is the largest crime scene in the country.”

“The United States government simply hasn’t gone far enough in controlling and shutting off the main route of this product (fentanyl) into the country, the southern border,” agreed Brandon Dunn, co-founder of a non-profit group to spread the word about the growing fentanyl epidemic. He said that fentanyl poisoning is the leading cause of death in the United States between the ages of 18 and 45.

US Customs and Border Protection data shows that fentanyl seizures have skyrocketed in recent months and that the southern border is indeed a hotspot for these seizures. But the Washington Post analyzed the data to show that these seizures are overwhelmingly taking place at entry points, not in the unprotected areas between checkpoints, the committee’s top Democrat pointed out Wednesday.

A witness called by the Democrats, El Paso Judge Ricardo Samaniego, argued that El Paso has no “open border”, “migrant invasion” or “hordes of undocumented immigrants committing crimes against citizens or causing havoc in our community.” He said that most immigrants in his area are presented to border agents for processing and sent to organizations that help asylum seekers connect with sponsors and relatives across the country.

“The humanitarian action of our community is not at the expense of local or national security,” Samaniego said. “The lessons we have learned are that perpetuating false accounts of the invasion and ‘others’ when describing migrants is irresponsible, dangerous and can lead to violence against our fellow human beings.”

Democrats and Republicans mostly talked to each other at the hearings. Jordan has argued that many of the country’s border issues stemmed from President Joe Biden’s decision to end President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. He denounced Biden’s decision to halt the deportation, halt the construction of the border wall, and end participation in the “stay in Mexico” program.

“Under President Trump, the border was secure,” Jordan said. “There are no borders under President Biden, and Americans are paying the price.”

Jordan said his committee wants immigration legislation “as soon as possible” and will likely base it on proposals put together by committee members including Chip Roy of Texas, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Tom McClintock of California. He said the committee would visit the southern border in person later this month for another hearing.

The committee’s top Democrat, Jerrold Nadler of New York, said the Biden administration expelled 1.1 million willing migrants last year. He disputed Jordan’s claim that the southern border was open and that the asylum seekers were smuggling drugs. He said most national fentanyl comes through ports of entry and drug cartels recruit US citizens to import it.

He wondered if the Republicans would be able to pass the legislation, as some members of their faction expressed opposition.

“We all agree that our immigration system is not working,” Nadler said. “Our colleagues, on the contrary, cannot negotiate in good faith even with each other, let alone with us.”

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