Zinke Leads 22 Members in Letter Calling for Secretary Mayorkas to Secure the Border

WASHINGTON - Today, Co-Chair of the Northern Border Security Caucus and Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke led a letter signed by 22 Members of Congress to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas concerning the unprecedented surge in apprehensions along the Northern border.

This letter continues Zinke’s previous efforts to secure our borders including, sending an initial letter to Mayorkas calling attention to similar concerns in February 2023, introducing a bill requiring Mayorkas to implement a northern border security plan, as well as bringing Chairman of the Coalition of Large Tribes Marvin Weatherwax as his guest to the State of the Union to highlight how fentanyl coming in from the border has impacted Tribal communities. Zinke’s record on securing our borders includes votes to impeach Mayorkas, and for two of the most comprehensive border bills in the history of the United States, the Secure the Border Act and the House Homeland Appropriations Act.

In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “We, once again, write to express our serious concern about the unprecedented surge in apprehensions along our Northern Border. Since October 1, 2023, the Northern Border has seen a record number of illegal immigrants and drug seizures, most notably fentanyl, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While the crisis at the Southwest Border continues to intensify and unfold into an unprecedented disaster, local communities and Border Patrol agents along the Northern Border are feeling the strain as you continue to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to abandon its duty of protecting our sovereign borders.”

The lawmakers continued, “According to CBP data, in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, Border Patrol agents apprehended 10,021aliens illegally crossing the border between ports of entry, including 2,229 apprehensions in thefirst four months alone. In the first four months of FY 2024, through January 2024, the BorderPatrol has already apprehended 4,772 subjects along the Northern Border, a 114% increase fromthe first four months of FY 2023. This 114% increase in apprehensions is unsustainable andsymptomatic of your broader failure to secure the border.”

Read the entire letter to Secretary Mayorkas here.

Background:

• New York Post Northern states see highest record of border crossings as migrants take advantage of lax laws to get into Canada
• CBS News What's behind the record number of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Canada border?
• NBC Montana Illegal migrants crossing northern border at 'record-breaking' rate, patrol agent says 
• U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations Encounters by Area of Responsibility and Component
• Fox News NY sheriff sounds alarm as migrants cross northern border in record numbers: 'None of this is humane' 

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