The House passed a resolution condemning the Biden administration’s border policies on Tuesday, rebuking President Joe Biden for “refusing” to use executive authority to stop the illegal flow of immigrants crossing the southern border.
House Republicans overwhelmingly voted in favor of the resolution, passing it 226 to 193. Fourteen House Democrats voted in support of the resolution, which is the latest step taken by GOP lawmakers to blast Biden for his perceived lack of accountability when it comes to border security.
The resolution, introduced by Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), accuses the Biden administration of limiting expedited removal, which Republicans believe “only incentivizes illegal immigration and worsens the border crisis.”
Democrats who voted in favor of the resolution were Reps. Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), Angie Craig (D-MN), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Don Davis (D-NC), Jared Golden (D-ME), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Susie Lee (D-NV), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Frank Mrvan (D-IN), Mary Peltola (D-AK), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), and Eric Sorensen (D-IL).
GOP lawmakers’ anger over the border crisis took center stage at Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday last week, with several hoping to hear solutions, but they said they received “blame-shifting.” De La Cruz introduced the resolution on the same day.
“The current state of our nation’s border security is unsustainable,” De La Cruz said on Tuesday. “The policies put forth by the Biden administration have resulted in the worst border security crisis in our nation’s history, endangering our communities and straining our resources.”
“The resolution underscores the urgent need for the Biden administration to take decisive action to address the crisis at our border,” the congresswoman continued. “We urge the administration to immediately begin utilizing the authorities available to them to regain control of the situation and protect the interests of the American people.”
Biden’s speech arrived under the shadow of the high-profile death of Laken Riley, a nursing student who was allegedly killed by a Venezuelan immigrant who had been charged with entering the country illegally and later released.
Riley’s death served as a catalyst sparking debate over how to address border security, with Republicans calling on Democrats to accept House Resolution 2, a border security bill that passed the House last year. In the meantime, GOP lawmakers have taken other legislative steps to address border security, placing the blame on Biden’s retraction of Trump-era immigration policies.
Hours before Biden took the pulpit to deliver his address, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require immigration officials to detain immigrants charged with crimes such as burglary or theft.
Republican campaigns at both the state and federal level have latched onto border security and immigration as their No. 1 attack on the president, particularly heading into the critical 2024 election year, in which polling shows immigration is one of the top topics that matter to voters.
On the other side, many House Democrats believe Tuesday’s resolution is just another way Republicans are dragging their feet instead of working to bring bipartisan border legislation to the floor. Democrats have hit at House and Senate Republicans for essentially killing a bipartisan border-Ukraine funding bill in February.
House GOP leadership had said the combined bill would be “dead on arrival,” forcing the Senate to pass through a borderless Ukraine bill that House Speaker Mike Johnson does not appear to be inclined to bring to the floor for a vote.
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“I think this is just another example of Republicans wanting the issue more than the solution,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said ahead of the vote. “Passing senses of Congress and resolutions isn’t going to solve it. Actually putting resources in and working in a bipartisan way to solve the issue is the only way that it’s going to work.”
“They can’t pass a lot of laws,” Aguilar continued, referring to Republicans. “So, they’re going to pass some things that make them feel good.”