Katko: Biden Immigration Plan Falls Flat & Reveals Shift Toward Open Borders

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. John Katko (R-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, issued the following statement on the immigration bill backed by the Biden Administration:

“The Biden immigration bill announced today appears to be a compilation of immigration activists’ wish lists that glaringly fails to include many commonsense measures to secure our borders and reform loopholes in our immigration system. With migrants who previously attempted to enter the country illegally set to be admitted into the United States beginning tomorrow, we should instead be focusing our attention on serious conversations to restore integrity to our border security. Protecting the sovereignty of our territorial borders should not be controversial, and yet the President has sought politically-expedient solutions, making this bill more of a symbolic marker than a viable product for congressional debate.

“Immigration reform must go hand-in-hand with border security, yet the language in this bill is an unserious effort. Most of the ‘border security’ provisions in this proposal require DHS to develop plans and strategies that have already been required by Congress or already exist. It therefore would not result in substantial and needed improvements at the border, while at the same time calling for immediate action on a broad range of immigration law changes. Ultimately, this plan falls flat and reveals the Administration’s true intent of a complete shift toward open borders.

“This bill as-is does not represent a tenable path forward to improve our broken immigration system and secure our border in a meaningful way. As the Lead Republican of the Committee on Homeland Security, I welcome an honest policy discussion about the changes Congress needs to make to secure the border, and the lukewarm provisions in this bill do not come close.”