Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) recently reintroduced three bills seeking to bolster the nation’s borders, combat corruption and instability in Mexico and address the immigration court backlogs.
“President Biden’s immigration proposal grants amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants does not adequately provide resources to secure our borders, and fails to address the root causes of our immigration crisis,” Gallagher said. “It will be a nonstarter in Congress. In the absence of comprehensive reform, there are important steps we can take to fix our broken immigration system. These three common-sense bills are a good place to start and will ultimately keep Americans safe while instilling more accountability in the system.”
H.R. 1120: Empowering Immigration Courts Act would give immigration judges the authority to impose criminal fines on anyone in contempt of their court.
H.R. 1121: Illicit Arms Trafficking Security Enforcement Act would establish a Border Enforcement Security Team (BEST) within the Department of Homeland Security to focus solely on reducing arms trafficking.
H.R. 1122: the Supporting Mexico Against Corruption (SMAC) Act would combat corruption by requiring the President to impose Magnitsky Sanctions on individuals in the Mexican government that the Treasury Department has credible evidence engaged in corrupt activities outlined by the Global Magnitsky Act.
Authorities noted a recent Government Accountability Office report determined 70 percent of weapons seized from cartels are smuggled across the border from the US to Mexico.
Additionally, the bills would ensure arms trafficking in and out of the country was better monitored and, at a minimum, ensure American companies are not unwittingly supplying cartels with weapons.