SENATE OKAYS BILL BACKED BY HYDE-SMITH TO FORCE PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF BIDEN-HARRIS ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSERS
Now in House of Reps’ Hands, Bill Would Require Administration to Release Data on Unlawful Migrant Release Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today highlighted Senate passage of legislation she cosponsored to force the Biden-Harris administration to accurately disclose its handling of migrants and give the American people a full accounting of the number of illegal border crossers released into the United States.
The Senate last week approved the Southern Border Transparency Act (S.3187) by unanimous consent. Hyde-Smith is an original cosponsor of S.3187, which was introduced by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas). The Senate-passed bill has been received in the House of Representatives.
“For almost four years, the Biden-Harris administration has hidden behind dodgy numbers and stonewalling to deflect attention from the millions of illegal immigrants crossing our borders. It hasn’t fooled the American people, who should know the full scope, costs, and dangers associated with this administration’s failed border policies,” Hyde-Smith said. “The House should take up this bill without delay to force transparency on this administration.”
“The Biden-Harris administration has gone to great lengths to hide the ball when it comes to levels of illegal immigration, but the American people deserve to know exactly how many migrants are being released into the country and exactly on what terms. This is the most basic of transparency measures—just the facts, that’s all we’re looking for,” Cornyn said.
The Biden-Harris administration has used tools, including funneling migrants into so-called “parole” or other unlawful release programs, to drive down apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border and to avoid removing foreign nationals who enter the country illegally.
Currently, only limited public data is available on the total number of people who have been released into the country by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under programs established without congressional consent.
The Southern Border Transparency Act would require DHS to fully report on how it is handling migrants encountered at the border, including:
- The number of migrants paroled at each Port of Entry (POE) and in each Border Patrol sector;
- The number of migrants apprehended at each POE and in each Border Patrol sector, and how many were granted voluntary departure, placed into expedited removal, or simply released into the interior;
- The number of petitions for parole received and granted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; and
- The total number of migrants paroled into the United States each fiscal year, whether they are granted work authorization, and whether they ultimately depart the United States when their parole expires.
As a member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Hyde-Smith has consistently confronted Biden-Harris administration officials on their unwillingness to acknowledge the humanitarian and security threats it created on the border or to embrace necessary policy changes to secure the border.
###