Ricketts Outlines His Senate Solutions to Secure the Border

October 25, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) outlined a comprehensive package of 11 bills to secure the border. Ricketts made the comments while on a conference call with Nebraska media and will visit the border later this week with Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX).

“We’ve got to get this crisis under control,” said Ricketts. “I promised Nebraskans I would fight to secure our border in the Senate and that’s exactly what I’m doing. If President Biden won’t act, Congress must. This week, I unveiled a comprehensive package of solutions to secure our border.These solutions attack Biden’s border security failures head on – from fixing our broken asylum process, to building the wall, to going after drug cartels.”

Ricketts discussed his Ensure Uniform Border Inspection Practices Act to require annual comprehensive reviews of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) policies to improve enforcement practices at ports of entry.

“Right now, there is no comprehensive review of enforcement practices at ports of entry across the country,” Ricketts continued. “That means we don’t even have a way to collect information about how illegal immigrants and deadly drugs like fentanyl are finding their way into our country at these ports. My bill would identify areas where inspection practices are weak and where things are being done well so we can improve weak points and hold bad actors accountable.”

Finally, Ricketts outlined 10 other pieces of legislation he supports that address different aspects of the crisis at the border.

“One of the bills would tighten asylum standards, resume construction of the border wall, criminalize visa overstays, increase the number of Border Patrol Agents, and crack down on entities assisting illegal immigrants,” Ricketts said. “Others work to fight the human and child trafficking our current laws incentivize and crack down on the cartels’ human and drug trafficking operations. Another would stop liberal cities and states from implementing their dangerous sanctuary cities policies. Yet another would make deadly fentanyl distribution a federal felony murder charge.”

For more information about the bills, click HERE.

Watch the video HERE.

TRANSCRIPT:

Senator Ricketts: “President Biden’s negligence and failed policies have created an unprecedented humanitarian and national security crisis at our borders.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported a record 269,735 encounters at our southern border for the last month. CBP reported nearly 2.5 million encounters this fiscal year.

“That brings us to a record 8 million encounters since Joe Biden became President. To put that in perspective —- that’s more than President Trump and President Obama’s entire presidencies combined.

“Border officials arrested 18 people on the FBI’s Terror Watchlist last month — bringing the total to 172 people on the watchlist encountered this year. That smashes the previous record of 98 set last year. Annual terror watchlist encounters were in the single digits just a few years ago.

“We’ve got to get this crisis under control.

“I promised Nebraskans I would fight to secure our border in the Senate and that’s exactly what I’m doing. If President Biden won’t act, Congress must.

“This week, I unveiled a comprehensive package of solutions to secure our border. These solutions attack Biden’s border security failures head on – from fixing our broken asylum process, to building the wall, to going after drug cartels.

“First, I introduced the Ensure Uniform Border Inspection Practices Act. This bill would require annual, comprehensive reviews of U.S. Customs and Border Protection policies.

“Think about the TSA. You can have different experiences at different airports. Right now, there is no comprehensive review of enforcement practices at ports of entry across the country. That means we don’t even have a way to collect information about how illegal immigrants and deadly drugs like fentanyl are finding their way into our country at these ports. My bill would identify areas where inspection practices are weak and where things are being done well so we can improve weak points and hold bad actors accountable.

“I also outlined 10 other pieces of legislation that address different aspects of the crisis at the border.

“Others work to fight the human and child trafficking that our current laws incentivize and crack down on the cartels’ human and drug trafficking operations.

“Another would stop liberal cities and states from implementing their dangerous sanctuary cities policies.

“Yet another would make deadly fentanyl distribution a federal felony murder charge.

“Every single day, Americans lives are put at risk because of the crisis at our southern border.Combatting illegal immigration and drug trafficking was a top priority of mine as Governor and it remains a top priority for me in the Senate. I will continue to work with my colleagues to explore new ways to get this crisis under control.”