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Congressman Gaetz Issues Statement After Voting "Yes" on Border Supplemental Bill

June 28, 2019

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Matt Gaetz released the following statement after voting "yes" on H.R. 3401, the "Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act."

"For months, congressional Democrats have claimed that there was no crisis on the southern border. They refused, time after time, to bring the President's request for emergency assistance to a vote, saying they wouldn't waste time or money on a "manufactured crisis."

They were wrong. This is a crisis.

Our law enforcement officials at the border are overwhelmed and overrun, as more and more people continue pouring into the United States. Detention centers are filled far past their maximum capacity, and resources are spread impossibly thin. People who arrive face terrible conditions, from disease to a lack of basic necessities.

On Thursday, June 27, I voted for H.R. 3401, the "Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act," which passed overwhelmingly in both the House and the Senate. This legislation will allow new teams of immigration judges to go to the border, and provides CBP and ICE the resources they need to address the recent surge in border crossings.

I remain staunchly opposed to illegal immigration, and I am concerned that this bill does not solve the disastrous problems caused by catch-and-release policies. Nevertheless, this supplemental package, urgently requested by President Trump, will go a long way towards reducing the strain on the brave men and women at the border who work tirelessly to uphold America's immigration laws.

This bill is not perfect, but it's a start."

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