WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in introducing the WALL Act to fully fund the wall along the southern border.
“With more illegal border crossings this year than ever before, we need to focus taxpayer dollars on solving the border crisis instead of aggravating it. I’m proud to work with Sen. Inhofe to fund the border wall without asking taxpayers for another penny. The common-sense steps in the WALL Act would pay for a southern border wall and protect both U.S. citizens and immigrants in the process,” said Kennedy.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen an unprecedented number of illegal immigrants pour into the country, and the Biden administration’s inability or unwillingness to secure our border from the flow of drugs and dangerous criminals is a growing threat to our national security. I’ve always said: border security is national security, and to have a secure border, we need to build a wall. That’s why I have reintroduced the WALL Act. We’re going to build the wall through concrete reforms that protect the integrity of Oklahoman’s tax dollars and address the crisis that President Biden and the Democrats have worsened,” said Inhofe.
“The Biden administration’s approach to border security is a complete dereliction of duty. Telling migrants not to come while simultaneously halting construction of the border wall and writing checks to illegal immigrants sends the message that our borders are open and our laws are moot. It’s time to finish the construction of the southern border wall and enforce our immigration laws. That must be goal number one as we look at the problems in our immigration system. I thank Senator Inhofe for his leadership on this issue,” said Lummis.
“During my visit to the southern border last month, I saw firsthand that our nation is in crisis because of President Biden’s open border agenda. President Biden spent billions of taxpayer dollars to cancel our border wall, and he is incentivizing even more illegal immigration with his proposal to issue millions of dollars in settlement payouts. Along with my colleagues in the Senate, I am taking action to keep the White House’s radical policy agenda from making every state a border state and every town a border town,” said Blackburn.
“Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’ watch, illegal immigrants are flooding across the border at the highest level in 35 years. This influx has boosted dangerous international criminal cartels and created a humanitarian crisis in South Texas communities like Del Rio, where thousands of Haitian immigrants have camped under the Del Rio International Bridge due to a lack of resources at migrant housing facilities. This man-made crisis is a direct result of political decisions made by the administration, including halting wall construction on day one, and Congressional Democrats have not so much as held a hearing to listen to Texas witnesses who continue to suffer from these decisions. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to swiftly pass the WALL Act to help stop this massive influx of illegal immigrants and end this crisis,” said Cruz.
“Illegal border crossings are at an all time high thanks to President Biden’s disastrous border policies. It is due time that we finish building the wall at our southern border. The Wall Act will ensure that the border wall is fully paid for by closing loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to receive federal benefits and tax credits,” said Braun.
“We are in the middle of the worst illegal immigration surge in decades, and the Biden Administration has failed to take action to stop it. The WALL Act would strengthen our southern border and eliminate several incentives that have encouraged illegal immigrants to travel to the U.S. The Senate should pass this bill without delay so that we can finally bring to a halt the madness on our southern border,” said Wicker.
This bill would fully fund a border wall while providing specific ways to pay for it, including requiring a work-authorized Social Security Number to claim refundable tax credits, requiring welfare applicants to verify their citizenship status, increasing the minimum fines on illegal border crossers and establishing a minimum penalty for visa overstays.
Text of the WALL Act is available here.
