Lankford Continues to Question DHS’ Ability to Manage the Chaos It Inflicted at the Border

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management, issued a statement following a briefing with the Department of Homeland Security that provided no updates on preparations for the upcoming end to Title 42 at 11:59 pm on December 20, 2022: 

“Biden’s border plan is doing exactly what he intended it to do, accelerate illegal immigration into the US. Since Biden stripped all of the policies that previously secured the border, I have sounded the alarm for well over a year on how their lack of planning and lack of enforcing the law promotes illegal immigration. When the news broke that Title 42 was going to end, DHS admitted that they had no plan to stop the surge. Now, in the 11^th hour, as illegal border crossers line the border, the Administration is scrambling to close gaps in the border wall and figure out a plan to process illegal crossers faster into the country. But, there is no plan to secure the border and fix the broken asylum process, which has encouraged the flood of illegal border crossers for the last two years. We will see millions crossing the US border into Texas, Arizona, and California in a matter of days. My question to Biden and his team is this: what in the world have you been doing for the last eight months to prepare for the entirely predictable end of Title 42?

“There are options to secure the border: enforce the law, finish the border wall, and allow CBP to do their job. The goal should not be how can we get more people quickly into the US. The goal should be an orderly and legal immigration system that keeps Americans safe and secure. The Biden policies embolden the cartels, promote human and drug trafficking, harm our communities, and harm the illegal border crossers that believe illegal crossing is the best path to get into the US. It’s time for the chaos to stop. It’s time for the Biden Administration to address the chaos they have inflicted at the border because of their failed policies.”

Background:  

• Lankford calls out DHS for conflicting information on Title 42 termination
• Lankford questions Mayorkas about national security threats from wide open southern border
• Lankford presses further on DHS’ process for asylum seekers at the border
• Lankford calls out Biden for trying to finish the wall under the radar after billions in waste
• Lankford: Biden Admin is actively working to increase illegal border crossers
• Lankford: The Biden Admin is facilitating the chaos at the border
• Lankford travels to southern border to meet with law enforcement, assess the damage of Biden’s wide open border policies
• Lankford statement on Supreme Court decision on removing policy which kept asylum seekers in Mexico
• Lankford says it’s time to fix our broken asylum process that brings border crossers into the US
• Lankford pushes for answers amid influx of illegal border crossers
• Lankford, Johnson, Colleagues push Biden to enforce legal asylum
• Lankford: Biden’s border plant won’t stop illegal immigration, it will accelerate illegal immigration. 
• Lankford, Sinema, Colleagues introduce bill delaying end of Title 42 and Ensuring Comprehensive plan is place to secure border
• Lankford warns 1 million illegal immigrants could cross the southern border in 6 weeks if Biden rescinds Title 42
• Lankford says removing Title 42 authority will make Biden’s southern border crisis even worse
• Lankford, Cruz and Colleagues demand answers about the impacts of Biden’s border negligence
• Lankford: Biden’s open border is the greatest profit-maker for the Mexican cartel

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