Legislation introduced Tuesday by Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., would move 95% of the members of the National Guard currently guarding the U.S. Capitol building to America’s southern border with Mexico.
In a press release announcing the Guard Our Border Act, Murphy noted that Capitol Police announced Monday that there are no “known, credible threats” against the Capitol, but that there is a “humanitarian crisis” at the border that is not being adequately addressed by the Biden administration.
Guard members have been stationed continuously at the Capitol since the Jan. 6 breach that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. The rioters, many wearing clothing supporting then-President Donald Trump, said they were attempting to stop the certification of the election of President Joe Biden because they believed a massive voter fraud had occurred.
In addition to the Guard Units, high fencing topped with razor wire still surrounds the Capitol, and last week the Defense Department said 2,300 National Guard personnel will remain at least through May 23.
“Meanwhile, there is a humanitarian crisis at the southern border as illegal immigration levels continue to spike and holding facilities overflow,” Murphy’s press release stated.
In February, Customs and Border Protection agents had 100,441 encounters with migrants at the southern border, according to the congressman’s office, noting it was a 173% increase over the same month a year earlier.
A backlog of more than 4,200 migrant children currently are in Border Patrol custody with 3,000 held past the legal time frame. More than 100 migrants who crossed into the country illegally who tested positive for COVID-19 have reportedly been released from custody into the U.S. population, according to the congressman.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday defended the administration’s response to the surge, saying the United States is on track to see the most people attempting to enter the country than in the last 20 years.
Many Republicans have blamed the surge on President Joe Biden’s reversal of former President Donald Trump’s border policies, saying he has encouraged the influx and created the current crisis, which he, in turn, is not doing enough to fix.
“Our National Guard was formed to respond to states of national crisis in this country,” Murphy said. “The Capitol Police have acknowledged that there is presently no credible threat to our nation’s Capitol Building. Yet, because of this administration’s new policies, there is a national security and public health threat at our southern border.”
The Biden administration has refused to acknowledge the crisis but have asked for assistance from FEMA and even civilian volunteers, he added.
“Keeping the National Guard in D.C. is a misdirection of their mission purposed by political posturing and a complete waste of taxpayer money, Murphy said. “If our men and women in the National Guard are going to be deployed to provide assistance with a domestic issue, then the real issue is at our southern border and not in D.C. Congress should direct them immediately to help secure our border and provide humanitarian aid to those in custody.”
Source: Newmax
