Strongest-Ever Assembled Coalition Calls for Immediate Consideration of a Flagship Border Security Bill in the 118th Congress

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Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

May 11, 2022, 12:22 ET

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new coalition of groups and former officials are urging Republican leaders to commit to putting a robust border security bill on the floor of both chambers once the 118th Congress begins.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), along with groups like the Heritage Foundation and NumbersUSA, the border patrol union, and former officials including Chad Wolf, Mark Morgan, and Tom Homan, signed a coalition letter instructing Republican leaders on how to retake control of our border and properly address what is sure to be an electoral mandate.

"When the 118th Congress opens with new majorities in both chambers, it will be in large part because Americans have rejected the Biden Administration's purposeful dismantling of our nation's borders and our immigration enforcement infrastructure," the letter reads. "Congress should be emboldened with the mandate to immediately legislate unflinchingly, ensuring that neither this nor any future administration is again able to weaponize loopholes in the immigration system—and defiantly refuse to follow plain law—to purposefully drive mass illegal immigration to the United States."

"Such weaponization has dramatically reduced the security of the border, allowing cartels to expand their operational control, which seriously jeopardizes our nation's safety, health, and national security. The opportunity to legislate has been missed in several previous Congresses but the stakes are too high for it to be missed again."

On top of excluding amnesty of any kind, the letter outlines specific components that must be in the bill, including:

Create an authority to immediately expel illegal aliens across the border
Substantially reform asylum system, including clarifying that an alien is ineligible for asylum in the U.S. if they traversed a safe third country
End the disparate treatment of contiguous vs. non-contiguous unaccompanied alien children (UACs) under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA)
Fix the Flores 20-day detention ruling
Raise the credible fear standard
Mandate and appropriate resources for completion of the border wall system
End abuse of the parole authority
Restrict prosecutorial discretion to remove it as the catch-all excuse for limiting immigration enforcement
Mandate full implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), otherwise known as Remain in Mexico
Codify Matter of A-B-, which clarifies that gang violence and domestic violence are not grounds for asylum
Eliminate discretionary grants of employment authorization under 8 U.S.C. 1324A(h)(3)

"These legislative recommendations will ensure that our immigration laws protect and serve the interests of the American people, as they were meant to do," observed Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Over the past 16 months, we have witnessed the devastating harm wrought by a rogue administration that is asserting near dictatorial powers in a relentless effort open our borders. The American people are appalled by what is going on and want to see it ended.

"FAIR is proud to stand with the strongest-ever assembled coalition of public interest groups, former Trump administration officials, and the vast majority of Americans in supporting legislation that would end a border crisis deliberately instigated by the Biden administration. Passage of this bill must be a top priority in the 118^th Congress," concluded Stein.

Signers of the letter include:

Organizations:

Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime
America First Policy Institute
Center for Renewing America
Center for the American Way of Life
Claremont Institute
Conservative Partnership Institute
Counterpoint Institute
Eagle Forum
FAIR
Heritage Action for America
Heritage Foundation
Judicial Watch
National Border Patrol Council
NumbersUSA
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Former senior officials:

Ken Cuccinelli, former acting deputy secretary, Department of Homeland Security
Joseph Edlow, former acting director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Tom Homan, former acting director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Derek Maltz, former agent in charge, Special Operations Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
Mark Morgan, former acting commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Rodney Scott, former chief, U.S. Border Patrol
Lamar Smith, former member of Congress
Russ Vought, former director, Office of Management and Budget
Chad Wolf, former acting secretary, Department of Homeland Security

Read the full letter here.

Contact: Preston Huennekens, 202-328-7004 or [email protected]

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)