Congresswoman Claudia Tenney: Biden Administration Must Prioritize Operational Control of Southern Border

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) today urged the Biden Administration to take immediate action to regain operational control of the U.S.-Mexico border as more migrants and unaccompanied minors arrive every day. As the President and Vice President approach the first 100 days in office, the United States has surpassed previous records of border crossings. On March 24, Vice President Harris was tapped to lead this crisis but has still not visited the border to meet with Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Over the weekend, in an interview with CNN, Vice President Harris indicated that her focus is on long-term solutions to invest in Central American countries, not on immediate solutions to get the current humanitarian crisis under control in our country.  

“Rather than confronting the catastrophe at our border, the Biden Administration continues delaying action and deflecting from the problem. Our priority must be to restore operational control of the border, deter further illegal immigration, and end enriching the cartels who are profiting off of the disgusting crime of human trafficking. 

“Yet this weekend, Vice President Harris, who has yet to even visit the border in her first 100 days, made clear that her immediate priority isn’t to restore order at the border but to direct even more American tax dollars to Mexico and other Central American countries.

“The United States has invested over $6 billion since 2010 in Mexico and Central America, with mixed results. While foreign assistance can be a part of our comprehensive long-term strategy, it is nowhere close to a credible near-term solution to this immediate crisis. It is completely naïve to think America can solve issues in these countries by throwing more money at the problem, and it is totally irresponsible to make this the priority during a time when tens of thousands of illegal immigrants are entering our country. The Administration needs to focus on solutions that will address the problem now, not a decade down the road.”

The increase in border crossings comes after President Biden scrapped policies that curbed and disincentivized illegal border crossings, including stopping construction of the border wall, terminating the "Remain in Mexico" policy, and reimplementing catch and release policies. Tenney has called on the President to reverse his decision to undo these policies and restore order at the border. 

The border crisis by the numbers: 

• In March alone, CBP encountered 172,331 migrants along the southwest border. This is a 71% increase over February 2021 and a 400% increase over March 2020
• In March, 18,890 unaccompanied children crossed the border – a 65% increase from the previous record of 11,475 set in 2019
• There was a 173% increase from February 2021 in the number of family units CBP encountered along the southwest border
• CBP has arrested 5,018 individuals with criminal convictions in FY2021, more than double the number arrested in all of FY2020
• CBP also disclosed that two Yemeni men on the terrorism watch list were apprehended when they tried to reenter the US illegally – CBP has confirmed there are more on the terrorism watch list being encountered

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