Rep. Crawford’s Statement on Biden’s Mass Amnesty Order

Washington, D.C. — Representative Rick Crawford (AR-01) released the following statement regarding President Biden’s plan to grant amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. 

“With illegal immigration soaring under President Biden’s open-border policies, straining law enforcement, public services, and resulting in an increase in violent crime, the President has once again responded with a weak and fumbling executive order that only contributes to additional illegal immigration. Only days ago, a young girl, barely a teenager, was reportedly raped in broad daylight in a New York park by an illegal immigrant wielding a machete, and police in Maryland, using DNA evidence, arrested an illegal immigrant for the brutal murder of a mother of five who had been out for a casual jog. President Biden’s latest amnesty plan is a slap in the face to these victims and their families, as well as the millions of legal immigrants who wait patiently in their countries of origin for visas to be approved,” said Rep. Crawford.

Boozman, Cotton introduce bill to report illegal immigrant attempts to purchase firearm

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) to introduce legislation that would require the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and relevant local law enforcement when an illegal immigrant tries to purchase a gun.

“Alerting the proper authorities when illegal immigrants seek to obtain firearms is commonsense. I’m proud to join Senator Cotton and our colleagues on this legislation to help protect our communities,” Boozman said. 

Image by Taylor R

“Those who come into America illegally should be detained and deported. They certainly shouldn’t be able to purchase a firearm. Our bill is necessary to ensure the proper authorities are notified when an illegal immigrant attempts to buy a gun,” Cotton said. 

“The National Instant Criminal Background Check system is an important tool to ensure firearms stay out of the wrong hands, which is why I co-introduced the Fix NICS Act. It is already against the law for an illegal immigrant to purchase a firearm, and this legislation would notify the appropriate authorities when an illegal immigrant tries to break the law,” said Tillis.

“Our local law enforcement and immigration officials should have the tools to know if folks are in our country illegally. Instead of taking every opportunity to crack down on lawful FFLs just trying to earn a living, the Biden administration should capitalize on their dutiful work by using their resources to prevent unlawful actions by illegal immigrants. In the face of the border crisis of its own making, President Biden’s priorities again are out of touch. This bill will help officials do their job and keep our communities safe,” said Ernst.  

“I have no confidence in this administration’s willingness or ability to prevent illegal aliens from unlawfully entering our country, let alone in preventing them from illegally obtaining a firearm,” said Lummis. “If this administration refuses to enforce our existing immigration laws, we must empower law enforcement and immigration officials to hold them accountable and take appropriate action to keep our communities safe.” 

Bill text may be found here.

Background: 

• When a person tries to buy a firearm from a store, the firearm seller, known as a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL), contacts the NICS to conduct a background check. That background check verifies the buyer is not ineligible to purchase or own a firearm.

• The FBI maintains a record of prohibited persons which currently includes the names of 14.8 million illegal immigrants. NICS is not, however, required to notify immigration authorities if an applicant is in the country illegally.

• Since November 30, 1998, NICS has issued denials for 49,411 attempted firearm purchases by illegal immigrants. 

AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Firsthand Perspective from the Southern Border

LITTLE ROCK – Today I’d like to talk about my recent trip to the southern border of Texas. General Kendall Penn, Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard, joined me for a visit with members of the Arkansas National Guard who are in Texas to support Operation Lone Star. They are doing a fantastic job for our state and nation. We also went on a fast boat inspection of the Rio Grande River and received a briefing from the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande sector. 

The issues at the border are familiar to me. When President Bush appointed me as Undersecretary in the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, one of my tasks was to oversee security of our southern border. The problems were challenges 20 years ago. But the current number of illegal crossings and apprehensions, the volume of illegal drugs seized, and the human trafficking are far worse than we’ve ever seen, especially in Texas.

Under Operation Lone Star, there have been nearly 7,000 arrests and nearly 150,000 illegal aliens that have been apprehended and referred to federal immigration authorities. And then Border Patrol apprehensions and seizures are on top of those numbers.

We have a crisis at the border. It is a humanitarian crisis, a border-security crisis, and a public health crisis all rolled into a national security threat. It’s never been worse than it is right now. Any time you have migrants coming across our border from scores of countries, waiting for the right moment and then successfully coming in, this is not a closed border.

Until January, U.S. border policy had controlled the flow of illegal crossings and drugs. But those policies were reversed, and that puts all of us at risk, especially those who live along the border in Texas and Arizona. We must change our policy in order to regain control.

I was one of 26 governors who signed a letter requesting a meeting with President Biden to discuss the crisis. After three weeks, the President has not responded. On Wednesday, nine other governors joined Texas Governor Greg Abbott for a press conference to demand federal action to control the border.

Governor Abbott has allocated more than a billion dollars to continue building the wall along the Texas border and to initiate other measures to protect his state.

The illegal immigration and drug smuggling is a national problem. Those who cross illegally don’t remain in Texas and neither do the drugs. They are coming into Arkansas and all over the United States. Every state has an interest in bringing this under control.

Late Monday night, we took a boat tour along a section of the Rio Grande River that is a hotspot for smugglers. Then we hiked through the brush on the Texas side of the river. The people who patrol at night work in total darkness and rely on night-vision goggles.

Arkansas is doing its part as we are asked. The men and women from the Arkansas National Guard who deployed in July are doing an incredible job of maintaining vehicles for the Texas National Guard.

My trip was useful as I saw firsthand the enormity of the challenge along our border and to personally thank the men and women who serve our country as Border Patrol agents and as National Guard members.

Governor Hutchinson Authorizes 90-Day Deployment Of Up To 40 National Guard Members to U.S. Southern Border

LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson has authorized a 90-day deployment of up to 40 members of the Arkansas National Guard to Texas to assist with security at the state’s border with Mexico.

“I have authorized this mission in response to an official request from Texas on the urgent matter at our southern border,” Governor Hutchinson said. “My hope is that our 90 days of support will improve the security of our country and reduce the adverse impact of illegal immigration on Arkansas.”

The 90-day deployment will be consistent with a training mission for the National Guard.