Cornyn: Expanding Refugee Resettlement Program Won’t Solve Border Crisis
Let's be clear: increasing refugee resettlement is not the solution to what we see on the border happening today.
The solution to the crisis lies in enforcing our immigration laws and deterring migrants from undertaking the dangerous journey to the southern border when they do not have a valid basis for asylum.
The Biden administration can do better and must do better.
WASHINGTON – In today’s Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety hearing, Ranking Member John Cornyn (R-TX) called out the Biden administration for using the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program as a tool to address unchecked migration at the southern border. Excerpts are below, and video can be found here.
“In January, President Biden announced a new measure to address the border crisis, including a provision that would welcome up to 20,000 refugees from Latin America and Caribbean countries during fiscal years 2023 and 2024.”
“Let’s be clear: increasing refugee resettlement is not the solution to what we see on the border happening today.”
“It will not alleviate the strain caused by the current crisis on our southern border, and it will not prevent migrants with weak or nonexistent asylum claims from unlawfully crossing the border.”
“The solution to the crisis lies in enforcing our immigration laws and deterring migrants from undertaking the dangerous journey to the southern border when they do not have a valid basis for asylum. Unfortunately, the Biden administration has not shown a willingness to quickly remove migrants with frivolous or no asylum claims.”
“The New York Post reported that a migrant who was paroled in New York City today will have to wait until October 2032 to receive his or her notice to appear, which starts the immigration court process. That’s a 10-year wait to even begin the process.”
“Paroling a migrant into the United States and waiting nearly a decade to start deciding whether or not he or she has a valid asylum claim is absurd. But that’s just another consequence of the current policy by this administration at the border.”
“This stands in stark contrast to the sober, deliberate process of considering refugee applications through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.”
“We should, together with the rest of the world, offer protection to victims of persecution.”
“But allowing chaos to persist at the southern border is counterproductive to say the least. The Biden administration can do better and must do better.”