Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy:
We strongly urge you not to include amnesty in the budget reconciliation package. We are in the midst of a national security and humanitarian crisis at our southern border; mass amnesty will exacerbate the devastation and chaos.
In this fiscal year alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has encountered more than 1.1 million aliens, with June numbers reaching a 20-year high with 188,829 apprehensions. This increase is a direct result of policy changes by the Biden administration and the Democrat campaign promise of amnesty.
The more Congress and the White House push for amnesty, the more illegal aliens will come to the United States in the hopes of receiving it. Democrats are signaling that they are not serious about enforcing our laws and that it's worth it to pay the drug cartels to cross the border in the hopes of being here for the next round of free citizenship handouts.
Granting amnesty does not just provide a pathway to citizenship to those currently here illegally, it opens the door for millions of immigrants who otherwise would not have a legal pathway to the United States. Based on the 1986 amnesty, an average of five legal immigrants were added to the U.S. population for each illegal alien who received amnesty. On the heels of a pandemic, adding millions of new workers into the job market, and to our bloated welfare and entitlement programs, would certainly devastate our economy.
The budget reconciliation process should not be abused as a tool to appease open-border activists. The United States is a nation of laws -- granting amnesty to those who violate them is an affront to all law-abiding Americans.
People all over the world want to come here because we respect the rule of law, and the law applies to all equally. This is what separates us from the banana republics that others want to flee. Granting amnesty to those who have broken the law and putting them on a path to citizenship is unfair, will encourage more illegal activity, and will impose significant challenges for hurting American families. Instead of rewarding illegal aliens who have broken our laws, we should focus on the crisis on our border, the abuse of our asylum process, and actually enforcing the law.
Any move toward amnesty jeopardizes our sovereignty and undermines our ability to provide opportunities for those who truly seek freedom and respect our values.
Sincerely,
Andy Biggs
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, Border Security Caucus
Brian Babin, D.D.S.
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, Border Security Caucus