Title: A resolution commending the officers and personnel of Federal, State, and local agencies deployed by air, ground, and marine, and as tactical border security, for their work during the crisis at the Southern border.
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
This resolution recognizes that there is a crisis on the southern border and commends the men and women of various federal, state, and local agencies for their work during this crisis.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 156 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 156

  Commending the officers and personnel of Federal, State, and local 
 agencies deployed by air, ground, and marine, and as tactical border 
   security, for their work during the crisis at the Southern border.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 14, 2021

Mr. Scott of Florida (for himself, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Johnson, 
and Mr. Hawley) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
     to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Commending the officers and personnel of Federal, State, and local 
 agencies deployed by air, ground, and marine, and as tactical border 
   security, for their work during the crisis at the Southern border.

Whereas U.S. Customs and Border Protection (referred to in this preamble as 
        ``CBP'') is charged with protecting the borders of the United States and 
        facilitating travel and trade;
Whereas President Biden promised a humane approach to immigration but the Biden 
        Administration was woefully unprepared for a surge of migrants from 
        Central America, including a record number of vulnerable, unaccompanied 
        children unlawfully crossing the unsecured United States-Mexico border 
        (referred to in this preamble as the ``Southern border'');
Whereas the Southern border is experiencing a humanitarian crisis with 
        unprecedented numbers of vulnerable individuals attempting to unlawfully 
        enter the United States;
Whereas, on March 13, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security directed the 
        Federal Emergency Management Agency to support a government-wide 
        response effort to address the surge of unlawful crossings at the 
        Southern border;
Whereas, in February 2021, 100,441 individuals were apprehended at the Southern 
        border, which is a 28-percent increase from January 2021;
Whereas a total of 458,088 individuals were encountered at the Southern border 
        in fiscal year 2020, which is only 61,130 encounters more than the 
        number recorded in the first half of the current fiscal year;
Whereas, in all of fiscal year 2020, 33,239 unaccompanied minors were 
        encountered at the Southern border, which is only 3,510 encounters more 
        than the number recorded in the first half of the current fiscal year;
Whereas CBP has conducted more than 3,000 daily apprehensions, while still 
        maintaining a posture to secure the border of the Nation and facilitate 
        international trade and travel;
Whereas the immigration policies of President Biden are--

    (1) luring hundreds of thousands of migrants to unlawfully cross the 
Southern border;

    (2) leading to an alarming increase in human trafficking and drug 
smuggling by cartels and transnational criminal organizations; and

    (3) putting unaccompanied minors at risk of human trafficking, 
violence, sexual abuse, and separation from the families of the 
unaccompanied minors;

Whereas numerous acts of selfless heroism by CBP agents occur on a daily basis, 
        as the agents face dangerous conditions but continue to risk their lives 
        during a global health pandemic to rescue migrants attempting to 
        unlawfully enter the United States along the Southern border;
Whereas the selfless heroism by CBP agents has been on full display as the 
        crisis at the Southern border grows and thousands of aliens attempt to 
        unlawfully enter the United States each day, including recently reported 
        rescues--

    (1) in February 2021, of a migrant woman from Mexico abandoned by human 
smugglers and left to die in a freezing winter storm as they attempted to 
unlawfully enter Texas;

    (2) in March 2021, of a migrant man and a 2-year-old child swept away 
by a swift current in a canal as they attempted to unlawfully enter 
Arizona;

    (3) in March 2021, of a migrant man who was abandoned by human 
smugglers unlawfully entering California, remained missing for 8 days, and 
had to be carried out of the mountainous terrain on the shoulders of a CBP 
agent; and

    (4) in March 2021, of a migrant man in severe distress in a remote 
desert location who was abandoned by human smugglers attempting to 
unlawfully enter New Mexico and who required serious medical attention;

Whereas faced with inadequate Federal resources to manage the surge of illegal 
        border crossings, States along the Southern border have installed their 
        own border protection patrols, such as Arizona Border Strike Force and 
        Operation Lone Star in Texas; and
Whereas resources from Federal, State, and local agencies will need to be 
        diverted from other areas to handle the surge of migrants unlawfully 
        entering the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes that there is an ongoing and growing crisis 
        on our Southern border; and
            (2) commends the men and women of the U.S. Customs and 
        Border Protection, including Border Patrol personnel, Office of 
        Field Operations personnel, Air and Marine Operations 
        personnel, Office of Trade personnel, the Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency, and all support personnel and allies of such 
        agencies from State and local governments for the work of such 
        men and women during the crisis at the Southern border.
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