Joyce Presses McAleenan On Need For Additional National Guard Troops At Southern Border

The House Homeland Security Committee, on which Congressman John Joyce (PA-13) serves, held a hearing today regarding the ongoing situation at the southern border. During the hearing, Joyce described the urgent need to fix the loopholes in the immigration system that are perpetuating the crisis. He also questioned Department of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan about the effectiveness of the National Guard troops currently stationed at the southern border and whether bolstering the National Guard's presence at the border will help combat illegal immigration.

Secretary McAleenan said the National Guard has been "absolutely essential in helping maintain the DHS border security mission." McAleenan added that expanding the National Guard's presence at the southern border is "absolutely an option that DHS is considering."

A video and transcript of the exchange can be found below.

TRANSCRIPT

CONGRESSMAN JOYCE: Currently there is a massive crisis at our southern border. Just last month's data of attempted illegal crossing represented the staggering 591% increase from just two years ago. Also driving this crisis is the makeup of the individuals who are crossing the border. Rather than adult males, who we saw in years past, family units and unaccompanied children are spiking up and our laws have not yet caught up. There is a surge of people who seek, and I emphasis to you sir the word seek, to be apprehended at the border. Brought into custody, claim asylum, and be allowed to gain access to American jobs, healthcare, and education. This new group of families and unaccompanied minors arriving from Central America presents significant new challenges and must be addressed by this committee and the House.

In the past, Democrats and Republicans would work together to address these issues, which are critical to the security of our country. Sadly, this has not been the case at all since January when I was sworn in. The complete breakdown of the bipartisan work in the face of the overwhelming scope and severity of this crisis has almost crippled the DHS in carrying out your work. I am further concerned to hear you testify today that you expect the agency to exhaust funding before the end of the fiscal year if Congress does not act on your latest supplemental funding request.

Now let me discuss my first-hand experience on this issue and how they relate to my first question that I'm about to ask you regarding an immediate measure we could take to address this crisis while Congress works to get its act together. A few weeks ago, at the southern border I witnessed personally the lack of security in areas along the Colorado River that allows the cartels to smuggle drugs into our country. To smuggle drugs into south central and southwestern Pennsylvania, where I represent. During that visit, I also spoke with some CBP agents on the ground and I was shocked by what was discussed. Currently CPB is consistently being tasked with providing additional services such as medical support, transportation services, leaving them unable to carry out their core mission of protecting and patroling our southern border. The shortage of personnel is glaring and one of the suggestions that the members of law enforcement expressed to me during my visit was the additional National Guard troops could be deployed to the border to help alleviate staffing issues. Do you believe that the presence of additional National Guard troops would be beneficial in curbing the crisis on the southern border? Is it time to address the immediate crisis and send additional National Guard troops to our southern border?

SECRETARY MCALEENAN: Thank you, Congressman for first of all going to the border and meeting with our men and women, but also for accurately laying out the scope of the challenge that we face. Six times last year in terms of the crossings, the change in the demographics, the fact that 40% of our border patrol agents in top sectors of traffic are now dealing with care, custody, transportation, hospital watch for migrants. They are not on the border, they're not securing it against drugs coming across or against people that are trying to evade capture. That is a huge risk, it is a huge problem, and a challenge we are facing. How can we address it? First of all, I went to the border a week and a half ago with the Acting Secretary of Defense to look at this problem together, to talk about expanding our partnership in this area. I can tell you that our National Guard partners have been absolutely essential in helping us maintain our security mission over the last year and a half. Under Operation Guardian Support, we have over 2,000 National Guard troops supporting us every day on that border. And on opportunities to expand that footprint, I am working, for instance, with Governor Abbott of Texas who has been a tremendous supporter of everything we're doing to help us secure that border, is absolutely an option we are considering and we have stark needs in that regard so I thank you for recognizing the key role that our National Guard partners play in supporting our border security efforts.

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