RANKING MEMBER CORREA DELIVERS OPENING STATEMENT IN SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING: “THE REAL COST OF AN OPEN BORDER: HOW AMERICANS ARE PAYING THE PRICE”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Ranking Member Correa (CA-46), the top Democrat on the House Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee, led his Democratic colleagues during a joint Subcommittee hearing by the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement and Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence entitled, “The Real Cost of an Open Border: How Americans are Paying the Price.”
You can watch today’s hearing HERE.
You will find below Ranking Member Correa’s opening statement, as prepared for delivery:
Good afternoon, everyone.
We’re here today to understand the human cost of U.S. border policies, which is important for us to consider as lawmakers.
Let’s also look at how to prevent tragedies from occurring while still protecting the U.S. Homeland.
Hopefully, we can stimulate our economy and our local communities at the same time.
The fact is the border is NOT open. It has never been open. This is outright misinformation.
But my colleagues falsely claim our border is open, and that we are the most accepting country in the world when it comes to immigrants.
And today, fewer than one percent of people who want to move permanently to the United States can do so legally.
And therein lies the problem – we have an incredibly restrictive legal immigration system, which hurts both American citizens and the migrants seeking safety and opportunity.
My Republican colleagues believe the solution to our issues is to prevent migrants from entering the United States.
Let’s be clear, a wall will not stop people from coming to this country. Nor will cruel policies like separating children from their parents or the Migrant Protection Protocols.
I spoke with one of our witnesses, David Bier, last week, and he told me that we have a choice between legal and illegal immigration.
People will not stop coming – the question is how they come.
When we try to ban asylum, it results in more chaos, in more evasion, and in more people trying to sneak into the United States because they believe they have no other options for entering.
I think that’s right. As I’ve said time and again, the world is experiencing an unprecedented migratory crisis like no other since World War II.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there were more than 21 million people in need of international protection in just the Americas last year.
This is not only a regional challenge, but a worldwide challenge that requires worldwide solutions.
Look at why people are fleeing their home countries.
COVID-19 had a devastating effect on global economies.
People are fleeing China because their economy is crumbling. China’s youth unemployment hit a record high in June. Their exports and investments are slumping and its currency is down against the U.S. dollar. Their economy is going from bad to worse.
We also saw Europe slide into a recession earlier this year.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing mass migration as individuals are fleeing these war-torn countries.
It is also disrupting supplies of food and energy and pushing inflation up around the world.
To improve border security, we need to address the reasons people are migrating. No one wants to pick up and leave their homes.
We can also give these people a legal way to enter the United States.
We’ve seen the positive results of the Administration’s strategy of expanding legal pathways – the number of encounters at our southwest border dropped 30 percent from May to June.
We’re currently at the lowest number of encounters in two years. Notably, current numbers are near the same as May 2019, under the Trump administration, before COVID shut the world down.
Legal pathways will also make migration safer and strip funds from the cartels. If an individual can come here legally, they will not have to pay smugglers or make a dangerous journey through places like the Darien.
They will not have to battle conditions like extreme heat – the heat that is sadly killing migrants as they journey to America during the summer months.
It would also mean fewer vehicle chases through U.S. communities, and fewer migrants crossing ranches and farms near our borders.
And it would mean less costs for our hospitals, as migrants wouldn’t be arriving sick and injured from their terrible journeys to reach the United States.
Expanding legal pathways would benefit the United States and American citizens, and not just from a security perspective.
Research shows that our economy benefits greatly from immigrants.
The U.S. is experiencing a worker shortage – just under 10 million as of May 2023. This doesn’t include the 10 million undocumented immigrants already here.
Migrants are willing and able to fill these jobs, especially in industries facing labor shortages such as agriculture, construction, and technology.
Increasing the number of workers through legal pathways increases the number of people paying federal taxes and contributing to our economy.
Conversely, reducing the number of migrants in the United States risks serious economic problems.
A 2022 study by the Center for Global Development, found “the sharp reduction in US refugee admissions starting in 2017 costs the overall US economy today over $9.1 billion per year.”
I hope my Republican colleagues will join me to work on solutions that will address our challenges at the border in a way that improves the lives of all people.
I yield back.
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