Facing the worst border crisis

Our southern border has been experiencing a rapidly growing crisis since 2021 when President Joe Biden took office. There are more than sixty instances in which President Biden undermined our border security and encouraged illegal immigration, including halting border wall construction, ending ‘Remain in Mexico,’ and implementing a catch-and-release policy.

The most recent report from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) showed that 189,922 illegal immigrants were encountered at the Southwest border in February 2024, the highest February ever recorded in Department of Homeland (DHS) history. We have now reached more than 9 million illegal immigrant encounters nationwide under President Biden.

Tragically, President Biden’s open border has unleashed criminal and cartel activity at the southern border. United States Border Patrol (USBP) Chief Jason Owens noted that “hardened criminals often hide in smuggled migrant groups,” attempting to evade law enforcement and conceal their identities. For example, agents were instructed to look for recently released Venezuelan inmates amid the thousands of illegal aliens crossing the border daily, according to an internal DHS intelligence report. Making matters worse, these criminals, typically gang members, are contacting and working directly with Mexican drug cartels. This has led to expansive human and drug smuggling and trafficking operations at the border and beyond into the interior of the United States. Brad Coe, sheriff of Kinney County, Texas, told the House Committee on Homeland Security that his deputies arrested 741 human smugglers in 2022, up from 169 in 2021, and that the department was on pace to apprehend more than 900 in 2023. We cannot allow cartel to exploit our border and endanger our communities.

To that end, I have introduced a slew of bills in the House of Representatives that would bolster our border security and empower law enforcement to take more action. One of the bills, the Defend Our Borders from Armed Invaders Act, which provide the National Guard the power to stop armed individuals, like cartel operators, from crossing into the United States by any means necessary.

The Jalisco cartel, the most dangerous criminal organization in Mexico and second most powerful drug cartel, is heavily militarized and more violent than other criminal organizations. Their ‘operational territory’ is right at the Texas-Mexico border. These cartel criminals must be identified and dismantled in order to safeguard the American people. I introduced legislation that makes clear that the Jalisco cartel cannot remain emboldened at our border and that the U.S. military must be ready to engage and eliminate the Jalisco cartel, should it be determined the best course of action is to use the Armed Forces of our great country.

Additionally, combatting these deadly cartels starts with knowing exactly who is exploiting our border and coming into our communities. I introduced the Cartel and Radical Terrorist Enforcement Log Act, which requires CBP to report if individuals on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) were released into the interior of the United States along with individuals affiliated with cartel organizations. This bill also requires a report to Congress detailing which terrorist and cartel organizations are attempting to exploit the northern, southern, and maritime borders to move their members into the United States.

Most recently, I co-led the Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act, which will require DHS to submit a plan to Congress to identify, integrate, and deploy new, innovative, advanced technologies to enhance or address capability gaps in border security operations. As cartels and foreign adversary operations become more sophisticated amidst the ongoing border crisis, the United States must deploy the latest and most advanced technologies available to our borders to disrupt these threats.

The United States is facing the worst border crisis we’ve ever seen, as our infrastructure is overwhelmed, cities are flooded with illegal drugs and crime, and our border patrol agents are overburdened. While President Biden refuses to address the ongoing border crisis and leaves the United States vulnerable, I’ll continue to push for effective measures to safeguard our country and enforce our laws.

Morgan Luttrell built a life centered around service. A 5th generation Texan raised on a horse ranch, at an early age Morgan learned the importance of hard work, discipline, and personal responsibility. He turned his strong values, deep love for America, and passion for helping others into a career of distinguished service. He can be reached at luttrell.house.gov.