Carter/IRC Border Report Calls for Military Response to Southern Border Crisis

Statement

The growing state of chaos in Northern Mexico is a direct threat to the homeland security of the United States and must be met by a military response, according to the latest field investigation by the House Immigration Reform Caucus (IRC), ordered by IRC Chairman Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and House Republican Conference Secretary John Carter (R-TX).

IRC Chairman Brian Bilbray stated this morning, "With the drug war, human trafficking, and increasing violence along our borders, it is absolutely imperative to provide the necessary resources to our state and local law enforcement officials. Drug cartel violence in California, specifically in San Diego County and along the Pacific Coast, mirrors that which is happening in Texas and Arizona. Without proper support through grants and collaboration with local, state, and federal agencies, we will continue to see the negative effects of a failed border policy."

"While the Administration is focused on groping grandma at the airport, heavily armed drug smugglers and Al-Qaeda supporters are daily infiltrating our southern border," says Carter. "This report clearly documents that security at our border has improved, but is still insufficient, and identifies the remedies to correct the situation."

"The U.S. Border Patrol and our Sheriffs are doing everything they can to secure our southern border, but there are simply not enough officers to stop the deluge of violent criminals pouring across," says Carter, the seventh-highest ranking Republican in the House. "We need an immediate surge of armed personnel to shut down the criminal invasion, as has been successfully demonstrated to work in the past."

The 44-page report, "Broken Neighbor, Broken Border," calls for an immediate deployment of a minimum 25,000 armed troops at the call of the border Governors, along with substantial new support for the Border Sheriffs, U.S. Border Patrol, and National Park Service law enforcement.

The field investigation was conducted by IRC staff and Congressman Carter in August and September, and covered the Texas border between Falcon Lake in Zapata County and El Paso, along with Maricopa and Cochise counties in Arizona.

The report calls for 12 legislative recommendations for the upcoming Congress to secure the border from drug smuggling, terrorist infiltration, human trafficking, and illegal immigration. All spending for the improvements would require budget offsets from existing federal programs.

* Pre-authorize Border Governors to deploy National Guard/State Defense Forces to secure the border in their state.
* Community Impact Aid for Border Sheriffs' Departments
* Allow illegal aliens to be prosecuted in any border sectors
* Appropriate $3 billion annually U.S. military/National Guard/State forces operations to secure the southern border
* Block dismissal of illegal immigration charges by the Administration
* Make E-Verify Mandatory Nationwide
* Prepaid Local Law Enforcement Grants for Border Sheriffs
* Improve Border Access Roads for Law Enforcement Access
* Provide Liability Shields for Border Patrol/USCG officers/Private Property owners
* Remove foot bridges from the Rio Grande
* Lower Federal Drug Prosecution Age to match States
* Assure powers of detention for troops on border duty

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