Legislation introduced to develop southern border plan, contingency fund

U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced last week a bill designed to devise a southern border strategic plan and establish a contingency fund to address plan activation.

The Border Response Resilience Act would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and federal partners to create a strategic plan and conduct exercises to improve the federal response to increased migration.

The contingency fund would seek to address potential future increases in unaccompanied children, asylum-seekers, and migrants at the border.

“The federal government has repeatedly failed Arizona on immigration and border security in part because there isn’t a plan or the necessary resources,” Kelly said. “The Border Response Resilience Act that Sen. Portman and I introduced takes the politics out of the process by requiring DHS to develop a response plan that prioritizes safety for border communities and a humane process for migrants. A coordinated federal response with dedicated funding will allow DHS to prioritize their mission of border security, keep the burden from falling on Arizona communities and allow for a more secure and orderly process at the border.”

Portman said DHS has been unprepared for unlawful migrant surges at the southern border in 2014, 2019, and during the current crisis.

“This is unacceptable,” he said. “DHS and other federal agencies must be able to respond immediately to the need for shelter for migrants as well as additional personnel to handle surging numbers of unlawful migrants at our border. DHS cannot wait until there are 5,000 unlawful migrants per day at the border to begin planning and contracting in response.”