Press releases

Kennedy, Cornyn introduce Southern Border Transparency Act to require Biden DHS to disclose catch-and-release data

Nov 01 2023

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in introducing the Southern Border Transparency Act to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue reports detailing the number of aliens seeking entry along the southern border. 

The Biden administration uses tools such as parole to drive down apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border and avoid removing foreign nationals who enter the country illegally.  

“The Biden White House claims it’s doing everything it can to stop the flow of illegal immigration, but the facts tell a different story. Requiring the DHS to issue a detailed report on the hundreds of thousands of immigrants it releases into the U.S. would give the American people the truth about how the administration is fueling lawlessness at the border and around the country,” said Kennedy.

“The Biden administration has gone to great lengths to hide record levels of illegal immigration at the southern border, but Americans deserve to know exactly how many migrants are being released into our country. This legislation would shine a bright light on President Biden’s catch-and-release practices and reveal the devastating consequences of this administration’s unlawful actions,” said Cornyn. 

The bill would require the DHS to report on the: 

  • Number of migrants paroled at each port of entry (POE), broken down by nationality and demographics.
  • Number of migrants paroled in each Border Patrol sector, broken down by nationality and demographics.
  • Number of migrants apprehended at each POE.
  • Number of migrants apprehended in each Border Patrol sector.
  • Number of petitions for parole received and granted by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the total number of aliens paroled into the U.S., broken down by nationality and demographics.

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Hawley (R-Mo.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) also cosponsored the legislation.

Bill text of the Southern Border Transparency Act is available here.