Rep. Mike Gallagher: Biden ‘Somehow’ Managed to Worsen His Border Crisis, Congress Must Act

Following the Biden administration’s announcement that it will end the Title 42 policy that helps border officials regulate the inflow of unprecedented levels of illegal immigration, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) blasted the move —  which is expected to bring an even larger wave of migrants to the U.S. southern border — while calling on Congress to fight to “secure the border, support border patrol agents, and crackdown on cartels.”

In a Friday press release, Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher addressed the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) announcement that President Biden will end the Title 42 coronavirus protection protocol that allows federal immigration officials to quickly return border crossers and illegal aliens to their native countries.

Title 42, a public health provision that serves as an essential tool in combating the spread of COVID-19 and controlling the influx of migrants at our southern border, was invoked by the Trump administration at the onset of the pandemic, allowing for the expedited removal of those illegally crossing U.S. borders.

“It’s hard to believe, but President Biden has somehow found a way to make his border crisis worse,” he said.

By ending the Title 42 public health order, Gallagher accused the president of “doubling down” on harmful border policies.

“By revoking Title 42 – which his own administration has warned could lead to a surge in illegal immigration – the President is doubling down on open border policies that have created a crisis on our southern border and made our communities less safe,” he said. 

The Republican congressman and former Marine concluded by urging Congress to support resolutions to quell the border crisis. 

“This administration has shown no interest in fixing this problem, which is why Congress needs to act,” he said. 

“We can start by canceling the upcoming recess to pass bills like mine that help secure the border, support border patrol agents, and crack down on cartels,” he added.

Rep. Gallagher has introduced several border security bills aimed at combating Mexican government corruption, restoring fairness to the immigration system, and clamping down on cartels. 

They include the Significant Transnational Criminal Organization Designation Act, which allows for imposing sanctions that apply to foreign terrorist organizations on transnational criminal organizations; the Illicit Arms Trafficking Security Enforcement Act aimed at reducing arms trafficking; the Empowering Immigration Courts Act, which would grant immigration judges the authority to impose criminal fines for contempt of their court; and the Supporting Mexico Against Corruption Act which would combat corruption in Mexico.

Rep. Gallagher’s remarks come as America faces record-high levels of illegal immigration, with more than 209,000 migrants apprehended after crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. in March, the highest number of migrant apprehensions for one month since March 2000 — the last year of the Clinton administration. 

It also breaks the Biden-era record of 200,658 set in July 2021.

Last year, President Biden set new records for illegal immigration by enticing more than two million border crossers and illegal aliens to take the often deadly journey through Mexico to the nation’s southern border in the hopes of being released into the U.S.

Earlier this year, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was reported to have admitted in private that illegal immigration in President Biden’s first year in office is “worse now than … ever” before in American history.

In January, Rep. Gallagher accused President Biden of governing for a “fringe element on Twitter” rather than for the American people.

He also said the president appears “too weak to tell [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and [Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer to focus on the urgent needs of the moment: inflation, immigration, crime.” 

Last week, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) accused President Biden of significantly damaging national security by deliberately creating a border crisis to expand the Democrat voter bloc, calling for an investigation into the president over his actions.