Risch, Portman lead bill to combat crisis at the southern border

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KIFI) - U.S. Senator and Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced the Solving the Border Crisis Act Wednesday.

This bill will secure the southern border by resuming construction of the border wall, strengthening management and enforcement capacities, and upholding the rule of law, according to Risch.

“The Biden administration’s dismantling of the effective immigration system it inherited has created a full-blown disaster at the southern border. The past few months of illegal migrant encounters have broken every record in the book, and there is no end in sight unless we secure our border with strong immigration policies,” Risch said. “Using several of the findings of my recent migration report, I’m proud to introduce the Solving the Border Crisis Act to prevent this national security and public health disaster from getting any worse.”

“The skyrocketing amounts of fentanyl and unlawful migrants coming over our border must stop. The irresponsible and dangerous border policies of this administration are allowing Mexican transnational criminal organizations to traffic record numbers of unlawful migrants and deadly, illicit narcotics into communities in Ohio and throughout the country," Portman said. "That’s why I’m proud to introduce this bill to implement the recommendations from our recent border report to end the catastrophe at our border to ensure the safety and security of all Americans."

The Solving the Border Crisis Act will:

• Extend Title 42 until at least 60 days after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• Immediately resume border wall construction.
• Make the “Remain in Mexico” program permanent.
• Terminate a Biden administration rule allowing asylum officers to hear asylum claims instead of immigration judges.
• Establish minimum staffing levels for immigration enforcement and border patrol.
• Ensure sufficient detention facilities are funded for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to meet requirements.
• Determine if Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is collecting the DNA of unlawful migrants as authorized by law to help with criminal investigations in the U.S.

Text of the bill can be found below.