Part 1: Consequences of Failure: How Biden’s Policies Fueled the Border Crisis
2025-03-25
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Source: Congress.gov
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Transcript
The Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare the committee in recess at any point. The purpose of this hearing is to examine the actions that gave rise to the historic border crisis we witnessed over the last four years. And more importantly, this hearing will enable Congress to explore potential legislative solutions to ensure that the United States does not endure another such crisis. I now recognize myself for an opening statement. Good morning and welcome to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement hearing on how the Biden-Harris administration's failed border policies fueled a historic crisis at our Southwest border, which the Trump administration is now addressing with bold, long-awaited action. First, I want to say it is an honor to serve as chairman of this subcommittee, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, especially with the ranking member, the gentleman from the great state of California, Representative Correa, as we seek to address the critical challenges facing our nation's border security. Just over four years ago, on January 20th, 2021, President Biden was sworn into office, and on that very same day, with the stroke of a pen, he issued executive orders dismantling years of robust border security measures implemented by the first Trump administration. The results can only be described as a colossal failure. We have often heard the phrase, those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. So to be clear, this hearing is not about looking back just for the sake of looking back, but instead is about learning from past failures so that Congress can work together to pass meaningful and lasting solutions to secure our border.
The policies we put in place today will shape the future and ensure the failures of the past will never be repeated. Over the course of four years, the Biden-Harris administration introduced sweeping policy changes that prioritized rapid processing and release over enforcement, thereby dismantling border security policies meant to deter illegal immigration and protect Americans from foreign threats abroad. The consequences were devastating as we saw record levels of illegal immigration a surge in crime committed by transnational criminal organizations, and a weakening of national security. The administration also ended key deterrent measures such as Remain in Mexico and Safe Third Country Asylum Agreements. It expanded the CBP One app and created mass parole programs to facilitate the illegal entry of inadmissible aliens into the United States. As a result, every state in America has now become a border state. Violent criminal gangs infiltrated American communities and carried out heinous crimes. Crimes such as murder, assault, robbery, and rape. These crimes which jeopardized the safety of all American citizens. When President Trump took office in January, he and his administration wasted no time in reversing the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration. His administration immediately declared a national emergency at the southwest border and took aggressive actions such as deploying troops to assist and support VHS to regain operational control. The president also resumed border wall construction, ended Biden-era mass parole programs, and terminated the failed catch and release policy.
The results were seen almost immediately. By the end of February, Customs and Border Protection data revealed record low numbers of apprehension at the southwest border. Illegal entries between ports of entry plummeted 94% compared to February of 2024. Meanwhile, at the same time, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramped up its enforcement efforts. and increased arrest of public safety threats by 627%. I would like to close with a quote from one of our witnesses. The bottom line is this did not have to happen and we need to prevent it from happening again. We must do all we can to learn from the past, to protect the safety and security of all American people, and to ensure that the failures of the past will not be repeated. This time, I would now recognize the ranking member for the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, the gentleman from California, Mr. Correa, for his opening statement. Thank you, Chairman Guest, and I concur with you. Thank you for being chair of this committee.
I look forward to working with you on border security. Border security, in my opinion, it's not just border security, it's national security. And this is not an issue of Democrats or Republicans, but rather it's an issue that addresses all taxpayers, all citizens in this great nation. Today's our first subcommittee hearing, 119th Congress. This topic Selected by you, Mr. Chairman, we're looking at the past, yet I'd like to look at the future and what the challenges are for us at the border in this nation. We're not looking at conducting oversight and how the Trump administration is ripping away legal statuses, legal rights, work permits from immigrants lawfully within this country. ending parole for Ukrainian war refugees or Venezuelans or Cubans, in addition to ending status for Afghan refugees who fought alongside American troops in Afghanistan. We have to keep our moral obligation to those that have fought next to our American troops for those that had the back of our American troops overseas. We don't want to talk about ICE agents questioning and arresting American citizens, U.S. citizens, Mr. Chairman, or efforts to deport U.S. veterans, immigrant veterans that have been essentially fighting for this country, or U.S. citizen children with brain cancer.
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