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A semi-truck on the side of the road in San Antonio, Texas, carrying 48 dead immigrants, was recently hit by international buzz. Was the most deadly trafficking case in US history. And that happened in my parliamentary district. Overall, 73 migrants were abandoned by ruthless smugglers, trapped in 102-degree metal containers, and rotted to death.
This is not an isolated incident. My district spans more than 820 miles on the US-Mexico border. This is the largest of its kind in Congress. Fast tracking, water-use restriction, and property trespassing are part of our daily lives here in West Texas.
This horrific smuggling operation was not a coincidence. This dates back to 2021 when the Biden administration told the world that our borders were open. Since then, the constant flow of open border policies has created a record wave in migration. Almost immediately, our border patrol agent was taken out of the field and placed in a processing center to handle an unprecedented inflow.
When our agents were in the field, this left a big hole for the cartel to smuggle deadly drugs, terrorists and other villains into our backyard. Result: National security crisis.
Texas tractor trailer human smuggling survivors recall trafficking journeys
Fentanyl borders at amazing speeds It is flowing beyond. This year alone, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seized thousands of pounds, enough to kill all Americans more than once. In addition, over the last two years, more than 100 countries have crossed national borders, including enemy nations.
The border crisis is not only fatal to Americans. This year, CBP has a record of 14,000 immigration investigations and rescues.
We should not contend with each other over politics. National securityis a priority for all of us. There is a bipartisan solution to this, starting with eliminating pull factors, returning agents to the scene, and implementing working immigration policies.
The first step is to implement a return flight. These allow the United States to return immigrants to their country of origin, eliminating delays and overcrowding in courts, processing centers, and other immigration facilities.
In addition to returning flights, the policy of staying in Mexico discouraged people from crossing national borders. Last week, the US Supreme Court decided to withdraw the policy that remains in Mexico. Without this program, immigrants claiming asylum at our southern border would live in the United States, regardless of the strength of their claims, while their case passed through the unprocessed portion of the bloated immigration court. You will be provided with a loophole for.
Similarly, our immigration court faces more than 1.3 million outstandings. This means that asylum applications take an average of two to three years to be examined by an immigration inspector. In the meantime, immigrants remain in the United States and are free to move around the country until a final decision is made, but most do not appear in proceedings. If the immigration court system is well staffed and it is enforced to stay in Mexico, it can reduce the backlog of the past and speed up the whole process.
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Many people Is trekking to AmericaI just want to live a better life for myself and my family. Work visas give incentives to those who want to come to our country for financial opportunities. In 2021, the government issued work visas for 1.2 million fewer people than in 2020. Increasing the number of work visas issued will facilitate the migration of those who want to work hard and live an honest life, as the American Dream is aiming for.
In Congress, I helped introduce the Bipartisan Border Guard Act. It aims to hire additional ICE and CBP staff to bring Border Security agents back to the forefront from the processing center. It also speeds the deportation of people without a legitimate asylum claim. I also have a law to allocate more money to Operation Stone Garden, Security First, to refund local law enforcement agencies for work done with border guards to combat drug and human smuggling. Introduced the law.
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The biggest benefits of the American Dream T always starts in America. Our country has long relied on immigrants and their many contributions to our society. Like me, and like my children, I want everyone to have the opportunity to achieve the American dream.
We are a country of immigrants, but also a country of law. Ignoring them disrupts the system and puts risks to those who come here on a life-threatening journey. I urge colleagues on both sides of the aisle to work together to deal with this border crisis.
Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez represents Texas's 23rd Congress District.