Lafayette Reporter

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has partnered with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to introduce an amendment to incorporate the Secure the Border Act into the ongoing Senate debate on the continuing resolution.

"By allowing deadly fentanyl and dangerous criminals to flow into America, Pres. Biden is failing to uphold his primary duty to protect Americans and enforce the law. The Biden Border Crisis has made it more crucial now than ever before that funding for our government includes a border security plan that looks like someone designed it on purpose—and that is what this amendment provides," said Kennedy.

"It is imperative that any government funding bill include real border security measures. The Secure the Border Act would stop the Biden Border Crisis dead in its tracks and halt the invasion at our southern border. I am proud to be the Senate lead of the most comprehensive border security bill in decades, and it should be added to the continuing resolution to ensure that our government is enforcing the law," said Cruz.

The Secure the Border Act, which mirrors H.R. 2 passed by the House of Representatives, aims to resume construction on the southern border wall, tighten asylum standards, criminalize visa overstays, increase the number of Border Patrol agents, prohibit the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using its app to aid illegal aliens, and more.

The key provisions of the Secure the Border Act include:

• Resumption of border wall construction by the DHS.
• Tightening of asylum standards.
• Narrowing of DHS's parole power.
• Criminalization of visa overstays.
• Return of all unaccompanied migrant children who do not express credible fear or are not trafficking victims.
• Increase in the number of Border Patrol agents.
• Prevention of Border Patrol agents from processing apprehended aliens.
• Prevention of non-governmental organizations from receiving federal funds to facilitate illegal immigration.
• Limitation of DHS's use of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One App to cargo.
• Requirement for all employers to electronically verify worker immigration status.
• Requirement for CBP to certify access to criminal history databases of all countries of origin and transit for encountered aliens.

The amendment is also co-sponsored by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).

For the full text of the Secure the Border Act, please click here.