Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX) spoke with Breitbart Texas about the need to secure the border when Congress begins its 188th Session in January. Gonzales says Congress can use the power of appropriations to influence policy and revive cancelled programs to accelerate asylum case hearings.
“We must realize that most migrants will not qualify for asylum, and programs that quickly adjudicate these cases and return migrants to their home country quickly have shown to make a difference along the border,” he explained.
Gonzales referred to specific programs such as the Prompt Asylum Case Review (PACR) as one mechanism to ease the flow of illegal immigration and the negative impacts to residents in his border district.
Most pathways to clear asylum case backlogs such as PACR and the Humane Asylum Review Process (HARP) were discontinued shortly after President Biden assumed office. The programs, including the Migrant Protection Program (MPP), allowed Border Patrol agents to process migrants with claims and refer the cases to asylum officers for quick adjudication and removal as needed.
Gonzales says the power to influence the Biden Administration’s application of existing immigration law rests with the power of the purse. “As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, it all starts there, all I am asking this administration to do one thing, that is enforce the laws that are already on the books,” he emphasized.
There is currently a backlog of nearly 2 million immigration cases before administrative judges at the end of the fiscal year in September. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a Syracuse University research group that tracks the immigration court backlog nationwide, more than 800,000 new immigration cases were added to that backlog in Fiscal Year 2022.
With 800 miles of U.S.-Mexico Border within its boundaries, Gonzales’ district has the largest stretch of any congressional district. More than 130,000 migrants entered the United States in Texas-based Border Patrol Sectors. Gonzales’ district encompasses all the territory within the Del Rio and Big Bend Sectors of the Border Patrol, and a large portion of the El Paso Sector.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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