Reopen the federal government and address border security, immigration reform

As of this writing, today is the 24th day of the partial federal government shutdown – the longest in our history. The funding of certain portions of the federal government and border security have unfortunately become highly partisan, with congressional Democrats refusing to negotiate with President Trump to fund his border security request even when they supported similar policies in the past.

The Department of Homeland Security’s request to secure the border goes beyond a physical barrier to include resources to increase the number of Border Patrol agents and immigration judges, drug-detection technology, and $800 million in humanitarian assistance and medical support. Yet Speaker Pelosi has said she would give only a “single dollar” for President Trump’s proposed border barrier, showing a lack of seriousness in negotiation. Speaker Pelosi even went as far to call a border wall “immoral.” Democrats did not always feel that way. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in 2009 that “any immigration solution must recognize that we must do as much as we can to gain control of our borders as soon as possible.” Sen. Schumer also said that the border was “far more secure today than it was when we began debating comprehensive immigration reform in 2005” because “progress” included “construction of 630 miles of border fence that create a significant barrier to illegal immigration on our southern land border.” During a 2008 press conference, Speaker Pelosi addressed illegal immigration and said, “we certainly do not want any more coming in.” If that position is immoral now, did Democratic leaders think it was immoral in 2009?

In 2014, even President Obama said there was a “humanitarian crisis” at the border. Now President Trump cites the growing number of families and unaccompanied minors crossing the border as a crisis, and he is met with partisan criticism. The numbers tell the truth: last month, 20,000 migrant children were brought illegally to our country. Our border facilities are not equipped to handle this influx of families and minor children, resulting in a crisis.

Last week, President Trump toured the same southern border area I toured last June and was even briefed by the same officials, including Rio Grande Valley Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz. Chief Ortiz said that so far in 2019 his Rio Grande sector has apprehended people from 41 countries around the world. On a single day, Chief Ortiz’s sector apprehended 133 people from countries other than Central America and Mexico. Chief Ortiz said that his sector currently has 55 miles of fencing out of the 320 miles in his sector. Chief Ortiz requested technology and resources and infrastructure necessary to manage the border. He said that in his sector, six percent of illegal traffic occurs where there is some fencing, and the areas where there is no fencing account for over 90 percent of illegal traffic.

Securing the border and coming to a solution on immigration should not be a partisan fight, but an opportunity to find common ground. Border Patrol agents require more investment to do their job. Americans support a deal to reform immigration and give certainty to DACA recipients. President Trump has also made clear he is open to a broader immigration reform deal that includes DACA recipients if the border is secured. The time is now to achieve both.

The fact is that we have a crisis at the border that must be addressed, and congressional Democrats must be willing to make a deal with President Trump to support border solutions that are similar to policies they have supported in the past.