Congressman Andy Biggs and Congressman Brian Babin Send Letter to Congressional Leaders Opposing Amnesty in Budget Reconciliation Package

Today, Congressman Andy Biggs and Congressman Brian Babin, co-Chairs of the Border Security Caucus, sent a letter to Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy urging them to not include amnesty in the budget reconciliation package.

"Amnesty rewards those who have broken our laws. It is not, nor should it ever be, a legislative priority. The Far Left, yet again, proves how out-of-touch they are by attempting to ram through amnesty while in the midst of a humanitarian and national security crisis at our southern border. Granting amnesty will only incentivize more illegal crossings into our country and will exacerbate an already dire crisis at the border. We cannot jeopardize our country any further with the Democrats' America-last agenda." - Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05)

"The Democrats' push to use the budget reconciliation process to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens will not only exacerbate the raging border crisis, it will make it permanent,"said Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36). "This is an affront to all law-abiding Americans and must be stopped."

Co-signers: Congressman Matthew Rosendale, Sr. (MT-AL), Congressman Ralph Norman (SC-05), Congressman Tom McClintock (CA-04), Congresswoman Yvette Herrell (NM-02), Congressman Dan Bishop (NC-09), Congressman Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Congressman Clay Higgins (LA-03), Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01), Congressman Ted Budd (NC-13), Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-06), Congressman Bob Good (VA-05), Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12), Congressman Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27), Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14), Congressman Paul Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04), Congressman Mike Bost (IL-12), Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10), Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06), Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ-08), Congressman Alex X. Mooney (WV-02), Congressman Bill Posey (FL-08), Congressman David Rouzer (NC-07), Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), Congressman Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (AR-01), Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-04), Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01), Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26), Congressman Dusty Johnson (SD-AL), Congressman Jody Hice (GA-10), Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-01), Congresswoman Ann Wagner (MO-02), Congressman Scott DesJarlais (TN-04), Congressman Chip Roy (TX-21), Congressman Andrew S. Clyde (GA-09), Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03), Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14)

You can read the full letter here and below:

July 30, 2021



The Honorable Chuck Schumer The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader Minority Leader
U.S. Senate U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510



The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Speaker Minority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515

Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy:

We strongly urge you not to include amnesty in the budget reconciliation package. We are in the midst of a national security and humanitarian crisis at our southern border; mass amnesty will exacerbate the devastation and chaos.

In this fiscal year alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has encountered more than 1.1 million aliens, with June numbers reaching a 20-year high with 188,829 apprehensions. This increase is a direct result of policy changes by the Biden administration and the Democrat campaign promise of amnesty.

The more Congress and the White House push for amnesty, the more illegal aliens will come to the United States in the hopes of receiving it. Democrats are signaling that they are not serious about enforcing our laws and that it's worth it to pay the drug cartels to cross the border in the hopes of being here for the next round of free citizenship handouts.

Granting amnesty does not just provide a pathway to citizenship to those currently here illegally, it opens the door for millions of immigrants who otherwise would not have a legal pathway to the United States. Based on the 1986 amnesty, an average of five legal immigrants were added to the U.S. population for each illegal alien who received amnesty. On the heels of a pandemic, adding millions of new workers into the job market, and to our bloated welfare and entitlement programs, would certainly devastate our economy.

The budget reconciliation process should not be abused as a tool to appease open-border activists. The United States is a nation of laws – granting amnesty to those who violate them is an affront to all law-abiding Americans.

People all over the world want to come here because we respect the rule of law, and the law applies to all equally. This is what separates us from the banana republics that others want to flee. Granting amnesty to those who have broken the law and putting them on a path to citizenship is unfair, will encourage more illegal activity, and will impose significant challenges for hurting American families. Instead of rewarding illegal aliens who have broken our laws, we should focus on the crisis on our border, the abuse of our asylum process, and actually enforcing the law.

Any move toward amnesty jeopardizes our sovereignty and undermines our ability to provide opportunities for those who truly seek freedom and respect our values.


Sincerely,

Andy Biggs

Member of Congress
Co-Chair, Border Security Caucus

Brian Babin, D.D.S.

Member of Congress
Co-Chair, Border Security Caucus