Pappas Calls for Action on Southern Border

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined 15 House Democrats calling on President Biden to take executive action to restore order at the Southern border. The Members urged the President to use all the tools at his disposal, including executive action, to better address security at the Southern border, interdict illicit fentanyl, and allow for orderly legal immigration.

“Congress had an opportunity to work together on a bipartisan basis to secure the border but House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring that bill to us for debate,” wrote the members. “It is well past time for both parties to come together and agree on common-sense, bipartisan immigration reforms that both strengthen enforcement at the border and provide a path to citizenship.”

The letter continues: “Democrats have repeatedly stood ready to support funding for increased border patrol personnel and fentanyl scanning technology, as well as immigration judges and asylum officers to allow for orderly processing at ports of entry. We were proud to support $19.6 billion for Customs and Border Protection in the recently passed Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 government funding package– including $75.5 million to acquire additional non- intrusive inspection detection systems and $20 million for an additional 150 CBP Officers to support counter fentanyl efforts.”

They concluded, “It has become clear that the current situation remains untenable, but with Republicans playing politics on border security, it is time for your Administration to act.” 

Click here to read the letter.

Pappas is a cosponsor of the Dignity Act which is comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to address security and infrastructure challenges at the border, hire additional border patrol personnel, establish new pathways for asylum seekers, and create a path to citizenship.

In March, Pappas helped launch a new border security task force to focus on the need for comprehensive, bipartisan solutions to address the border and fix the broken immigration system. Later that month, Pappas voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding package, which included a $3.2 billion increase in funding for Customs and Border Patrol (CPB), providing for a record 22,000 agents, including 150 counter-fentanyl officers, and needed investments in fentanyl detection equipment.

In February, Pappas helped pass several pieces of legislation to strengthen deportation standards for foreign nationals who violate the law.

In March 2023, Pappas helped introduce the Comprehensive Southern Border Strategy Act which would require the Department of Homeland Security to create a strategy to secure our Southern border and submit it to the House Committee on Homeland Security and Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.