news

Today, Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) released the following statement after voting in support of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act:

“President Joe Biden has made it unequivocally clear he does not take the crisis at the southern border seriously. Under his watch, drug cartels have free rein to conduct human and child trafficking and smuggle lethal drugs – like fentanyl – into our communities. Whether you call Ohio home or any other state, our communities are paying the price of this ongoing and out-of-control crisis. Recent overdose rates from fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances paint the devastating picture of sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers who are dying every month because of the flow of illegal drugs into our country. To put it simply, this is not sustainable. 

“Enough is enough. It is time to restore order to our border and end this humanitarian crisis, which is why Congress must act. Today, I joined House Republicans to advance the Secure the Border Act, which will hire more border patrol agents, deploy additional and new border security technology, and strengthen current laws to protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking. 

“I strongly urge President Biden and the Senate to throw their support behind this legislation because the safety and well-being of American citizens must always come first. Securing our borders and strengthening policies already on the books is a necessary and significant step towards restoring safety to our communities and country at large.” 

Background on Secure the Border Act:

H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, takes steps to stem the crisis at the border by:

·    deploying technology to the southern and northern border,

·    increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and provide bonus pay,

·    requiring transparency regarding illegal crossings from the Department of Homeland Security,

·    resuming physical barrier construction,

·    strengthening current law to protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking,

·    ending catch and release,

·    ending abuse of executive immigration authority, and

·    strengthening and streamlining the asylum process. 

Click here for text of the bill.

Click here for a section-by-section breakdown.

###