Historic Border Crisis a "Clear and Direct Symptom of Failed Leadership"

Statement

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding immigration:

"In 2021, on President Biden's watch, each monthly total for illegal migrant apprehensions was higher than the same month's number the previous year.

"The same thing's happening in 2022. Every month has topped the total from 12 months prior.

"In fact, this past May didn't just eclipse May of 2021. It set a new all-time record.

"Border Patrol officers conducted nearly 240,000 apprehensions in May. And 25% of them -- an "unusually high' rate -- involved migrants they had apprehended before in just the past year.

"These jaw-dropping numbers are a clear and direct symptom of failed leadership. The Biden Administration is making a conscious decision to fumble the ball.

"Last spring, right after apprehensions hit a 20-year high, President Biden claimed, "It's way down… We've now gotten control.'

"No reasonable person could have looked at the facts and conclude that things were under control. But that's exactly what President Biden and his team insisted. Apparently a functionally open border is how they define success.

"Senate Democrats rubber-stamped the Biden nominees who are presiding over this failure. The Biden DHS swiftly issued internal guidance encouraging ICE and CBP personnel to use more politically correct terminology when referring to the border crisis. They were quicker to police employees' language than to actually police the border.

"Vice President Harris spent her time as the Administration's supposed border czar staying as far as possible from the border itself.

"Just this spring, President Biden submitted a budget request that would cut funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. He also proposed to cut out the emergency authorities that border officials were relying on -- in the absence of a coherent strategy from his Administration -- to turn away thousands of illegal migrants every single day.

"Their response to a functional open border is just to hit the gas pedal.

"Stable prices, public safety, and secure borders are three of the most fundamental duties of any government. Sadly for our country the Biden Administration has swung and missed three times."

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