Border hawks like Mike Johnson

Supporters of closing the U.S.-Mexico border to illegal crossings and finally finishing the wall are rallying behind the latest House Republican choice to be speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA).

“Johnson is not only strong on border security, but he has also twice introduced legislation to help prevent fraud and abuse in the asylum system,” said Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge.

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“If the new speaker is Mike Johnson, the man in the chair will also be one of the leading experts on that topic. Trust me,” added Arthur, now with the Center for Immigration Studies.

Representing a border state, Johnson has a keen interest in the issue and immigration reform in general. He has traveled to the wall with former President Donald Trump and decried President Joe Biden’s refusal to finish the project.

To provide transparency on his position, CIS posted a 2021 video discussion with Arthur on Wednesday to validate his concerns and thoughts on the border.

“You cannot just open the borders and allow everybody in the world in. It doesn’t work that way. This is not a sustainable trajectory. And I think people know that,” said Johnson, a Trump ally.

Johnson was one of several members who made the open border under Biden a key issue in the 2022 elections that gave the GOP control of the House. “I think because of that they’re going to give us control of Congress again, and I can assure you that when we do this will be among our top priorities,” he promised two years ago.

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Johnson said that he was clear-eyed on the impossibility of getting Biden to change his mind but said that a GOP majority should continue to push for a deal and if that fails should work to dump Biden in 2024.

“Now, I have no illusions about this. I’m sure that President Biden will veto anything we send him, but it will send a very strong message. If we can’t override a veto, we’ll be ready to run when the next Republican president is elected two years later,” he said.