Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green’s Border Reinforcement Act Passes Through Committee

Kaitlin Housler

U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security voted on Thursday to send the Border Reinforcement Act of 2023 to the House of Representatives floor.

Mark Green (R-TN-07), the House Committee on Homeland Security chairman, introduced this piece of legislation. The bill was sponsored by all Republicans of the Committee on Homeland Security.

“This legislation takes a targeted approach to address Secretary Mayorkas’ record-breaking border crisis wreaking havoc between ports of entry at the Southwest border as well as the worsening crises at our Northern and maritime borders,” Green said a statement following the bill’s passage through committee.

“Most importantly, this effort was crafted for those on the frontlines of this crisis, including our dedicated Border Patrol agents,” Green added. “Today, this Committee fought to give these brave and dedicated men and women the necessary tools to secure our sovereign borders. Addressing the single biggest threat to our homeland security should not be a partisan issue. Americans across the country, no matter how far they live from our borders, are affected by this crisis. It is time to pass this mission-critical legislation on the House floor and do what Secretary Mayorkas won’t—secure our borders and keep Americans safe.”

If signed into law, Green’s Border Reinforcement Act (H.R.2794) would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to implement the following:

  • Immediately resume construction of the border wall;
  • Mandate hiring to meet the need of 22,000 Border Patrol agents;
  • Require CBP to develop a technology investment plan, while also upgrading existing technology;
  • Require DHS to disclose to Congress and make public all monthly data, including monthly known gotaway numbers, which are currently not public, on or before the 7th day of each month;
  • Establish retention bonuses for U.S. Border Patrol personnel who meet certain requirements;
  • Provide increased support through Operation Stonegarden grants to local law enforcement jurisdictions in land and maritime border states to enhance border security measures; and
  • Reinstate the CBP One app’s function to its original intent by barring DHS from using it for non-commercial purposes, including immigration processing.

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Mark Green” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “U.S. Capitol” by Andrew Van Huss. CC BY-SA 4.0.

 

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