By Congressman Markwayne Mullin
Crisis (noun): defined as ‘a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger’ or ‘a time when a difficult or important decision must be made.’
The dictionary’s definition of crisis is clear. So is President Trump’s message to the American people. The issue at our southern border is no longer just an issue—it is both a national security and humanitarian crisis.
The facts speak for themselves:
· In the last three months, over 60,000 individuals traveled to our southern border. Of those, approximately 85 percent crossed our border illegally.
· In fiscal year 2018 (FY18), Customs and Border Protection seized or assisted in seizing 1.7 million pounds of narcotics, including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. There was a 73 percent increase in trafficked fentanyl from FY17 – FY18.
· Border security agents arrested 17,000 adults with criminal records at the border in FY18. The Department of Homeland Security kept 3,755 known or suspected terrorists out of the U.S. in FY17. There were also 6,000 gang members apprehended at the southern border.
· In the last month, Customs and Border Protection encountered 22,000 children at the border, including 4,000 children under the age of five. In FY18, 60,000 unaccompanied children reached our border—that’s only three times more than the number who attempted to cross our border last month alone!
· One in three women traveling to our border are sexually assaulted during the journey, as well as 17 percent of men. 7 in 10 migrants experience violence on the way. About 50 migrants per day are referred to medical providers, adding to the burden of border agents and doctors.
Facts are facts. The Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi Democrats aren’t disputing the numbers, because you can’t argue with facts. They are well aware of the crisis at the border. Yet they refuse to negotiate. They’re putting politics before people during a time when people are suffering. Instead of offering a solution, they say no money for the wall and no money for border security. We’re in the middle of a crisis—‘no’ simply won’t cut it.
