The U.S. Senate is Sitting on H.R. 2
In early May, the Republican House of Representatives, led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, fulfilled its promise to pass comprehensive legislation aimed at effectively securing the border and enhancing internal enforcement mechanisms.
All but two Republicans in Congress voted in favor of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023.
H.R. 2 includes the following provisions:
– Completion of the border wall
– Expansion of mandatory E-Verify
– Elimination of the “Catch & Release” policy
– Strengthening of Border Patrol staffing
– Combating human trafficking
While the legislation passed the House, it has been sitting in the U.S. Senate where Democrats are refusing to hold a proper hearing on the merits of the bill and its proposed solutions for securing our borders, protecting Americans from crime, combating the increased cost of living, and preserving our cultural and national identity–all of which are inextricably linked to the crisis at our border. Under the Biden Administration, the population of illegal immigrants in the United States is expected to double, and in Texas alone, the number could potentially increase sevenfold compared to pre-Biden era figures.
While Texans for Strong Borders believes Texas can (and should) secure its border without asking permission from the federal government, we should still expect our federal lawmakers to put American first and support border security solutions.
The Texas Legislature adjourned sine die at the end of May, having rejected every significant border security measure. They have reconvened for two additional special sessions since then, but have refused to prioritize our border. The most recent special session did not even include securing the border as a designated item.
Now, however, there is an opportunity for the U.S. Senate to accomplish what the Texas Legislature couldn’t. It has always been emphasized that we need both physical and legal barriers to entry. Completing the wall, along with expanding mandatory E-Verify, fulfills this objective precisely.
Call your Texas Senators and tell them to publicly support H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023:
Senator Ted Cruz: (202) 224-5922
Senator John Cornyn: (202) 224-2934
Strong Borders to Play Active Role in Primary Elections
Throughout the recent legislative session, the Texas Legislature’s actions (or rather inaction) have consistently let down Texans from all walks of life, from McAllen to Lubbock, from parents to children and doctors to linemen. These are the cities and the people that encompass them that the legislature forgot to remember and put them there in the first place. They elected them for a safe and secure future that is impossible with an open border.
Instead of promptly addressing border security legislation in the early days of the 88th legislative session, the Texas House focused on passing resolutions that honored LGBT organizations. Additionally, the Legislature regularly took extended weekends, neglecting their responsibilities and allowing essential initiatives to die at various deadlines in the legislative process.
Ending in-state tuition for illegal aliens died in committee without receiving a hearing. Notably, HB 20, the Border Protection Unit Act authored by State Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler), the most expensive state-sponsored border security legislation in the country, was abruptly halted by Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s (R-Beaumont) gavel just as it was being discussed on the House floor in the final weeks of the session.
Additionally, our leaders allowed Mandatory E-Verify to perish without reaching the Senate floor or even making it out of committee in the House, with the same fate befalling completion of the Texas border wall.
In light of these failures, Strong Borders will actively participate in key primaries across Texas to ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their failures to prioritize the well-being of Texans.
Stay tuned for updates from Strong Borders as we release information regarding candidates’ stances on important questions regarding effective border security, from the top of the ticket down to the bottom.
Pro-America Changes Coming to the US Citizenship Test
The U.S. citizenship test is undergoing welcome updates that will catalyze oncoming aliens in the process of gaining their citizenship to understand and fluently speak the English language. President Donald Trump made the test longer and more difficult to ensure that those applying to be an American citizen were loyal to our nation and found themself in common with other Americans.
However, due to Biden’s executive order to eliminate barriers to citizenship, the test was reverted back to its previous and less strenuous version from 2008. Now, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is proposing changes that include adding a speaking section to assess effectively addressing the English skills of every citizen-hopeful.
These proposed changes have been a cause for concern among former aliens who have recently become U.S. citizens like Heaven Mehreta, who worries that the new speaking section based on photos may make the test more challenging for individuals like herself. Similarly, Shai Avny, another former alien, believes that the new section could increase the stress experienced by applicants during the test.
These assertions made by newly admitted citizens are an insult to any ancestral American as they show that those who purport to want to be active and productive members of our society while assimilating are quick to recoil at the first sight of tests that would ensure that they do so. Keep in mind that this is even after having been granted citizenship.
This is another reason why we need strict laws that encourage assimilation by making English the official language of our nation as well as putting a pause on all net immigration, legal and illegal, until we can reform our legal immigration system to put the interests of America and her citizens first.