Border negotiations to resume Wednesday after holiday break
Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the latest from the nation's capital on 'Special Report.'
The Biden border crisis is the worst in American history — and it’s not even close. Since President Biden took office, there have been at least 7 million illegal border crossings and nearly 2 million known gotaways.
It isn’t just the southern border — illegal encounters along one sector of the northern border are up 700%. Hundreds of people on the terror watch list have been caught trying to get into our country, and more than 300,000 Americans have died of overdoses from drugs brought over the border. We’ve never seen anything like this.
Make no mistake — Democrats created this problem. Biden and Democrats are only feigning interest in securing the border now because it is an election year. If Biden actually wanted to secure our border, then he could have simply left the Trump border policies in place or reversed his own extreme policies by now. He has done neither.
BIDEN HAS ANOTHER CALAMITOUS YEAR AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER IN 2023 AS RECORDS SHATTER
It should be obvious that Biden’s sudden interest in the border is a political stunt to look like action is being taken, get good press and write campaign ads about how tough he is on illegal immigration.
In an aerial view, thousands of illegal immigrants, most wearing thermal blankets, await processing at a U.S. Border Patrol transit center in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Dec. 19. Major surges of migrants illegally crossing the Rio Grande have overwhelmed U.S. border authorities in recent weeks. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Now Biden is adding insult to injury. Media reports indicate that the border is in such chaos that the Biden administration is using resources from the VA to facilitate healthcare for illegal aliens. This is a slap in the face to our veterans and to the taxpayer.
That’s why, last week, I introduced the No VA Resources for Illegal Aliens Act in the Senate. My bill does just what it says. It prohibits VA resources, whether healthcare or claims processing for healthcare, from being used for illegal aliens. The bill already has the support of the Chairman of the House VA Committee Mike Bost, and I’m hopeful that Congress can pass it soon.
Biden flacks argue that since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reimburses the VA for these services, there is no issue. But this is wrong. In reality, DHS is leveraging healthcare providers in the VA’s Community Care Network, which was established to ensure veterans could access doctors in their own town, for the care of illegal aliens.
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As a result, veterans are forced to travel to VA facilities instead of relying on doctors in their communities. That means the administration is prioritizing the needs of illegal immigrants over the needs of our nation’s veterans. It’s hard to think of something more un-American than that.
There was a similar scandal at the VA the last time Biden was in the White House. In President Barack Obama’s second term, dozens of veterans died while waiting for care. The VA then lied about it to cover it up. Some of those folks are being hired back by the Biden administration. VA leadership in the Obama years didn’t fire the offenders because of job protections for federal employees.
It’s no wonder we have such a massive crisis at the border. People around the world know that they can simply waltz into our country, go to a blue state, and get free healthcare, free education, drivers’ licenses and even cash benefits. Meanwhile, the people of this country work hard, pay taxes and face rising prices for just about everything. Securing our border will require shutting off the magnet that is drawing illegals into this country.
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Our veterans earned their healthcare serving in uniform for the United States. Illegals haven’t earned a dime from the taxpayer — they shouldn’t even be in the country. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.
There’s no reason this legislation should not become law. Following the law — whether at the VA or at the border — shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and neither should caring for our veterans. If Biden is serious about securing the border, he should urge Democrats to pass this common-sense legislation and sign it into law.
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