Sen. Moran Issues Statement Following Visit to the Southern Border

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) - ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Department of Justice - released the following statement after traveling to the Southern border on Monday to visit a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Facility in Donna, Texas, and meet with law enforcement agents from the CBP, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA):

'I went to the southern border in Texas to witness the humanitarian and security crisis firsthand. What I saw was alarming: border patrol agents working round the clock to stop the flow of drugs and illegal activity while also caring for and processing the record surge of people who have already crossed the border.

'With thousands of children and families being held in overflowing holding facilities, I was told that 40 percent of law enforcement officers at the Donna facility are being pulled away from the border to process and care for these people. CBP is the first line of defense on our border, and federal law enforcement agencies work closely with them to detect drug shipments, intercept human traffickers and combat violent cartels and foreign threats. As border agents are consumed with families and children crossing the Rio Grande, that collaboration is undermined, making it easier for drugs and people to be trafficked into the U.S.

'The open-door policies of the Biden Administration have elevated this crisis, leaving our law enforcement the untenable task of protecting our border and keeping our country safe. We must eliminate the 'catch and release' policy in addition to enforcing our immigration laws and strengthening border security through a physical barrier, enhanced technology and additional agents to patrol the border. This isn't just a humanitarian crisis - it's a threat to the safety of our communities and our national security.'

Children are being held at the U.S. CBP Facility in Donna, Texas, until they can be transferred to a long-term care and placement facility. The transfer is supposed to occur within 72 hours, but currently children reside there for weeks. Download this photo here.

DEA's Special Response Team describe the advanced tactics they deploy to disrupt transnational criminal organizations and apprehend major drug traffickers. Download this photo here.

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