Heinrich Statement on White House Executive Order to Strengthen Border Security
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement on President Biden’s executive order to strengthen border security:
“Our immigration system and border security need a reset and the President’s Executive Order is an important step in delivering that.
“Now we need to use this moment to reform the system. That includes addressing overuse of the asylum process so legitimate asylum seekers can be processed in an orderly way, increasing effective border security, reducing the current, enormous wait times for visas, and expanding the legal pathways to citizenship for DREAMers.
“From our front row seat to the dysfunction at the border and in our immigration system, New Mexicans see the effects— on immigrants, border communities, and national security. We want action.
“I applaud the President’s action today and urge him to continue to exercise his authority to tackle as much as he can, given Senate Republicans’ refusal to act.”
Background
Heinrich has been committed to ensuring New Mexico has the tools and funding to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and protect the state’s border communities.
Earlier this year, Heinrich led his Senate colleagues in a letter to President Joe Biden outlining the urgent need for robust funding for border security and drug interdiction efforts to stem the flow of fentanyl and similar illicit drugs being smuggled across the border through official ports of entry.
In April, Heinrich secured the passage of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which will give law enforcement the tools needed to crack down on drug traffickers and international criminal organizations. This new law will combat the flow of deadly fentanyl before it ever reaches our nation’s borders. It is one of the most significant actions Congress has taken to effectively address the fentanyl epidemic that’s killing New Mexicans and tearing families apart.
In the most recent government funding law, Heinrich secured more than $1 million to help law enforcement agencies throughout New Mexico purchase equipment to safely identify fentanyl and other illicit substances, the creation of a first-of-its-kind fentanyl tracking system, and language that directs the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to remove barriers to access life-saving opioid use disorder medications. Heinrich also delivered more than $400 million for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to detect and seize fentanyl at our ports of entry.
In February, in an op-ed published in USA TODAY, Heinrich slammed Republicans’ hypocrisy following their vote to block this same bipartisan border deal, emphasizing the need for real solutions — not political stunts — to our nation’s broken immigration system. Last month, Heinrich blasted Republicans after they once again blocked the Senate from even beginning debate on bipartisan border security legislation.
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