‘Time to put the cartels in their place’: GOP Reps introduce bill to hire more Border Agents, finish the wall

On Monday, Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee introduced legislation designed to beef up border security.

The bill, known as the Border Reinforcement Act of 2023, calls for the resumption of border wall construction, hiring 22,000 Border Patrol agents, supporting local law enforcement, demanding DHS transparency and limiting the use of the CBP One App. The bill calls for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary to “to immediately resume construction of the border wall” and “upgrad[e] existing [CBP] technology to ensure CBP personnel are equipped with the necessary resources to remain safe in the field.”

“Following over five million illegal encounters at our Southwest border, a worsening crisis at our Northern and Maritime borders, and the record number of lives lost to fentanyl poisoning across the country, it is clear this administration does not have the operational control it claims,” said Republican Tennessee Rep. Mark Green, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, in a press release issued today.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 5.7 million encounters at the southwest border since October 2020 and a 25% increase in drug seizures from February to March 2023.

NEW: Today, @HomelandGOP unveiled our plan to combat the crisis President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas purposefully manufactured. Our border security package increases CBP personnel, prioritizes technology, and resumes wall construction.

— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) April 24, 2023

“It’s time to put the cartels in their place and put the protection of our communities first. This border crisis is one of the greatest security threats facing the American people,” Green said.

In March, Green questioned Raul Ortiz, Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, about drug cartel’s control of certain parts of the southwest border during a hearing held on location in Texas.

“I will tell you that in certain areas, the cartels control an awful lot of the southern border south of the United States,” said Ortiz.

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