Washington, DC- U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today released this statement after the House failed to pass a bill to override President Trump’s veto of a joint resolution to terminate the national emergency he declared along the U.S.-Mexico border last month.
“We can pretend the drugs, human trafficking, and illegal crossings along the southern border isn’t a national emergency or we could provide the President with the necessary resources to keep this country safe, which is what I prefer,” said Davis. “My first choice is never through executive action. Last year, Congress had the chance to secure our borders and Democrats refused to work with Republicans to fix the broken immigration system. Now we are seeing an 11-year high in illegal border crossings, a 400% increase in heroin-related overdose deaths, and 90 percent of heroin in the U.S. coming through our southern border. President Trump has a responsibility to protect this country. We should be supporting people, like Congressman Adam Kinzinger and the Border Patrol Agents, who have seen the problems firsthand. I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle can put politics aside to pass legislation that will address the crisis at our border."
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Background
- Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) recently returned from his fourth national guard mission to the border and described the illegal activity he’s seen at the southern border on Face the Nation.
- Governors of border states have claimed state emergencies in the past. Former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, who became President Obama’s DHS Secretary, declared a state of emergency along the border in 2005 and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson also declared a state of emergency at the border in 2005.
- In February 2019, more than 76,000 people illegally crossed the border, which is an 11-year high.
- Border structures work. In every area where fencing was placed, illegal crossings have been reduced by more than 90%:
- 95% in Yuma over 9 years since a wall was built there in 2005
- Over 90% over 15 years in Tucson
- 92% with a wall in San Diego over the last 23 years
