```

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 779 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 779

 Strongly condemning the Biden administration and its ``border czar'', 
     Kamala Harris, for failing to secure the United States border.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 30, 2024

 Mrs. Blackburn submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
     to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Strongly condemning the Biden administration and its ``border czar'', 
     Kamala Harris, for failing to secure the United States border.

Whereas, on March 24, 2021, President Biden asked Vice President Kamala Harris 
        to lead, as ``border czar'', the Administration's diplomatic efforts to 
        address the ``root causes'' of illegal immigration into the United 
        States from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras;
Whereas Vice President Kamala Harris did not even visit the southern border 
        until June 25, 2021, 93 days after being named ``border czar'';
Whereas when Vice President Kamala Harris traveled near the southern border for 
        the first time on June 25, 2021, she decided to travel to El Paso, 
        Texas, which is located 800 miles from the Lower Rio Grande Valley;
Whereas former United States Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz stated that during 
        his nearly 2 years in that position between August 2021 and June 2023, 
        he ``never had one conversation with [President Biden] or the [Vice 
        President Harris], for that matter. I was the Chief of the Border 
        Patrol, I commanded 21,000 people. That's a problem.'';
Whereas current United States Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens stated that Vice 
        President Kamala Harris has not spoken with him since he was appointed 
        in July 2023;
Whereas, since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris became President and Vice President, 
        respectively there have been--

    (1) more than 9,700,000 illegal immigrant encounters nationwide;

    (2) more than 7,900,000 illegal immigrant encounters at the United 
States southern border; and

    (3) an estimated 2,000,000 known gotaways who evaded the United States 
Border Patrol, which is more known gotaways than evaded the Border Patrol 
during the entire previous decade;

Whereas, in May 2024, there were 170,723 illegal immigrant encounters at the 
        United States southern border, which represents a 185 percent increase 
        from the average May encounter total during the administration of 
        President Trump;
Whereas May 2024 was the 39th straight month where monthly illegal immigrant 
        encounters have been higher than the highest month under President 
        Trump;
Whereas illegal immigrants with violent criminal histories who have murdered 
        innocent Americans, including Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungary, Rachel 
        Morin, and others throughout the United States, pose an existential 
        threat to the safety and security of the American people;
Whereas, in June 2024, NBC News reported that more than 50 illegal immigrants 
        with ties to ISIS were on the loose in the United States after having 
        been released by officials of the Biden administration;
Whereas, during the Biden administration, more than 350 illegal immigrants with 
        ties to ISIS and whose names appear on the terrorist watch list were 
        stopped while trying to cross the southern border;
Whereas, during less than the first 10 months of fiscal year 2024, a record-
        breaking 31,077 Communist Chinese nationals have been encountered at the 
        southwest border;
Whereas the Biden border crisis is costing the United States approximately 
        $150,700,000,000 each year, which equals an annual cost of $1,156 per 
        taxpayer;
Whereas, in May 2024, Republican members of the Committee on Homeland Security 
        and Governmental Affairs of the Senate released documents showing the 
        Biden administration secretly flew more than 400,000 illegal immigrants 
        into the United States;
Whereas the far left open border policies of President Biden, ``border czar'' 
        Harris, and the Democratic Party are to blame for this historic 
        immigration crisis; and
Whereas, in August 2022, President Biden' administration decided to make the 
        border crisis significantly worse by formally ending former President 
        Trump's successful Remain in Mexico program: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) strongly condemns the Biden administration and ``border 
        czar'' Kamala Harris for failing to secure the United States 
        border;
            (2) affirms that the people of the United States deserve 
        elected officials who--
                    (A) understand the gravity of the crisis at the 
                border; and
                    (B) will execute policies that will fix the border 
                crisis; and
            (3) clearly and firmly states that the continuation of the 
        Biden-Harris border policies would be disastrous for the United 
        States and its citizens.
                                 <all>
```