WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the failure of the Biden administration’s new border policy, which will not deter migrants with illegitimate asylum claims from attempting to cross the southern border. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.

“People all over the world are taking advantage of the Biden administration’s weak policies.”

“They’re crossing our southern border at an alarming rate, imposing huge burdens on the border communities in states like mine – Texas – that do not have the resources to meet the demands of this crisis.”

“Under the administration’s new plan, there is an option for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans that will allow them to stay in the United States for two years and receive work authorization. What more of a magnet do you need for people to come to the United States than to give them a work permit and to say that you can stay here legally for two years while you await your court proceeding?”

“It’s not a solution to the open-border policies that currently exist. It doesn’t discourage migrants from making the long, dangerous journey. It just artificially lowers the numbers.”

“They’ve taken 30,000 people and said, ‘Okay, we’re going to make your entry into the country legal, so by definition it’s no longer illegal immigration’ by a wave of the magic wand. In short, this new policy lets the administration roll out the welcome mat for tens of thousands of migrants, while making it seem like the numbers have actually gone down, which they have not.”

“What happens after those 30,000 spots are filled? What happens when it takes months rather than weeks for migrants to receive the green light? I can tell you exactly what will happen. Migrants from these four countries will start coming across the border illegally once again. Will they be expelled under Title 42? Will they be paroled into the interior? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, once the line gets too long, we’ll be right back where we started, only with an added challenge.”

“The new program normalizes migrants coming to the United States based on facts that would not qualify them under our current laws for asylum.”

“That leads to perhaps the biggest problem of all: that the administration circumvented, did an end run around Congress, to implement this policy, which has basically teed up an even bigger headache. President Biden is following the footsteps of President Obama by creating a new category of immigrants without consulting with or getting the agreement of Congress.”

“The President hasn’t solved the problem. He’s just swept it under the rug, and he’s arguably made it worse. This crisis is complex, but the solution isn’t. The administration needs to engage with Congress and enforce our immigration laws that are on the books.” 

“If migrants from any country see the U.S. is quickly detaining and removing people who do not have legal basis to remain in our country, the flow of illegal immigration will drop dramatically. That’s the only viable path forward and where the administration should focus its time and effort.”