IA 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 50 

Recognizing that Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution 

explicitly reserves to the States the sovereign power to repel an invasion 

and defend their citizenry from the overwhelming and ‘‘imminent danger’’ 

posed by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels who have seized control 

of our southern border. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 8, 2021 

Mr. ARRINGTON (for himself, Mr. BABIN, Mr. BANKS, Mr. GOODEN of Texas, 

Mr. BURGESS, Mr. DUNCAN, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mr. MURPHY of North 

Carolina, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. ROY, and Ms. HERRELL) submitted 

the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 

Judiciary 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing that Article I, Section 10 of the United States 

Constitution explicitly reserves to the States the sovereign power to repel an invasion and defend their citizenry from the overwhelming and ‘‘imminent danger’’ 

posed by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels who have 

seized control of our southern border. 

Whereas the Preamble to the United States Constitution outlines the chief responsibility of the Federal Government 

is to ‘‘insure domestic tranquility’’ and ‘‘provide for the 

common defense’’; 


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Whereas Article IV, Section 4 of the United States Constitution clearly states ‘‘The United States shall guarantee to 

every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion’’; 

Whereas President Biden has continuously failed to uphold 

his oath and fulfil his Constitutional duty to ‘‘faithfully 

execute’’ the laws of the land; 

Whereas in the five months since President Biden took office, 

we have seen more apprehensions at the southern border 

than the entirety of the previous year; 

Whereas the 178,622 apprehensions in April marked a 20- 

year high and represented a 944-percent increase compared to April 2020; 

Whereas those being apprehended have come from over 160 

nations, including individuals on the terrorist watch list; 

Whereas nearly 6,000 criminal offenses have already been 

committed by illegal immigrants in 2021, including assault, homicide, illegal drug and contraband possession, 

trafficking, and sexual offenses; 

Whereas this represents a 140-percent increase in criminal 

offenses, with approximately 2,400 crimes committed by 

illegal immigrants in the entirety of 2020; 

Whereas Customs and Border Protection agents in the Del 

Rio sector have seen a more than 3,000-percent increase 

in arrests of convicted sex offenders compared to the previous year; 

Whereas authorities have already seized over 6,000 pounds of 

fentanyl—enough to kill every American four times 

over—in 2021, surpassing the 4,700 pounds seized in the 

entirety of 2020; 


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Whereas the United States has a drug epidemic whereby tens 

of thousands of Americans die every year and over 90 

percent of drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, 

fentanyl, and cocaine, are smuggled across the southern 

border; 

Whereas cartels act as paramilitary, narco-terrorist organizations that profit from trafficking people and drugs into 

the United States; 

Whereas Customs and Border Protection agents have confirmed that cartels facilitate and profit from virtually 

every illegal border crossing; 

Whereas the Biden Administration has repeatedly removed 

effective measures that have reduced illegal immigration 

and secured the border, including Migrant Protection 

Protocols policy, a halt on border wall construction, a reinstatement of ‘‘catch and release’’, a weakening of asylum requirements, and countless other policy decisions 

that encourage a disregard for our laws and sovereignty 

and embolden cartels; 

Whereas the Federal Government has recognized since 1944 

the authority of the President to ‘‘prohibit, in whole or 

in part, the introduction of persons or property from 

such countries or places as he shall designate’’ as potentially introducing or spreading a communicable disease, 

recently known as ‘‘Title 42’’; 

Whereas the Biden Administration has continuously acknowledged the public health threat of COVID–19 but failed 

to fully enforce Title 42 to protect border communities 

and the entire nation against COVID–19 and its dangerous new variants; 


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Whereas States along our southern border—Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California—are forced to spend billions 

in their States’ taxpayer dollars to address and combat 

an unsecured border, as well as illegal border crossings 

and their associated adverse effects; 

Whereas State and local law enforcement entities are overwhelmed by dangerous criminal activities associated with 

illegal border crossings, putting officers and their communities in danger while draining local resources; and 

Whereas the quality of life and security of communities in 

border States are being threatened, including ranchers 

suffering from stolen and damaged property, healthcare 

providers with strained capacity, and educators struggling to absorb the high volume of migrant children in 

classrooms: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 That Congress— 

4 (1) recognizes that the States at our southern 

5 border, including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and 

6 California are suffering an invasion by paramilitary, 

7 narco-terrorist cartels; and 

8 (2) recognizes and affirms the sovereign and 

9 unilateral authority explicitly reserved to the States, 

10 respectively, under Article I, Section 10 of the 

11 United States Constitution to defend themselves 

12 against the invasion by cartels, which has been exac13 erbated by the Federal Government’s failure in 


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1 meeting its constitutional obligation to ‘‘insure do2 mestic tranquility’’, ‘‘provide for the common de3 fense’’, ‘‘execute the laws’’, and ‘‘protect each 

4 [State] against invasion’’. 

Æ 


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