Scott, Cramer, Colleagues Send Letter Expressing Concern the Biden Administration’s “Mass Amnesty” for Migrants

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and 19 of their colleagues in sending an oversight letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland, questioning the administration’s dismissal of these asylum cases and highlighting the erosive effect of these policies to the U.S. legal immigration system.

Their letter seeks to ensure transparency and accountability and requests detailed responses regarding the administration’s handling of immigration and border security. The senators raised several questions about the administration’s actions, including the accuracy of the reported figures, the justification for the “precedent-breaking” surge in dismissals, and the measures in place to prevent this policy from incentivizing illegal immigration and compromising national security.

The letter also criticizes President Biden, arguing the action is “too little, too late,” and implicitly admitting the administration possesses the authority to correct the problem.

“This administration’s approach has consistently downplayed the severity of the border crisis, initially denying its existence, then reluctantly acknowledging it, and now attempting to address it through inadequate measures,” the senators wrote. “The repeated failures in border management under your leadership have led to an unprecedented backlog of 3.5 million asylum cases, posing a substantial burden on our immigration system and increasing the risk of criminal activities by illegal aliens.”

“The American people deserve transparency and accountability regarding the administration’s handling of immigration and border security,” the senators concluded. “The current state of affairs at our southern border is unacceptable and demands immediate and effective solutions. We urge you to provide a comprehensive response to these questions and outline a clear plan to restore the integrity of our immigration system.”

Additional cosigners include U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Ind.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Dan Sullivan (R-Ark.), Mike Crapo (R-Ind.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Click here for the letter.

BACKGROUND

Senator Scott has pushed back against the Biden administration’s dangerous open border policies and fought to protect Americans by:

• Supporting the Laken Riley Act to ensure that America’s streets are safe from illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes;
• Championing bills to stop sanctuary cities and keep American communities safe from the failed policies of progressive politicians who have allowed violent criminal illegal immigrants to continue committing crimes;
• Visiting the U.S.-Mexico border to discuss the illegal immigration crisis with CBP officers and federal officials;
• Championing the Creating Obstructions Necessary to Address Illegal and Nefarious Entry Rapidly (CONTAINER) Act, which empowers border states to place temporary barriers on federal land in order to protect their communities;
• Advocating for the Keep Our Border Agents Paid Act, which ensures CBP and ICE agents and contractors continue to be paid in the event of a shutdown as President Biden’s southern border crisis continues to spiral out of control;
• Fighting for the Secure the Border Act of 2023 to address the Biden administration’s open border crisis by increasing the number of Border Patrol Agents, resuming construction on the border wall, tightening asylum standards, criminalizing visa overstays, and prohibiting DHS from using its app to assist illegal immigrants;
• Condemning the Department of Defense’s decision to auction off approximately $260 million worth of border wall construction materials;
• Championing his Securing Our Border Act, which redirects $15 billion of funding passed by Democrats to hire 87,000 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents and utilizes it to bolster security measures along our southern border;
• Introducing the Alan T. Shao II Fentanyl Public Health Emergency and Overdose Prevention Act to utilize powers similar to those under Title 42 so that the Department of Homeland Security continues to expedite the processing and removal of migrants illegally entering the country in response to the fentanyl-related public health emergency;
• Calling on the Senate to fulfill its constitutional duty by holding a trial to consider the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; and
• Authoring the bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, a sanctions and anti-money laundering bill aimed at combatting the country’s fentanyl crisis by targeting the illicit fentanyl supply chain, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that traffic the drugs in from Mexico. The bill was signed into law in April as a part of the national security supplemental package.