On Wednesday, July 23, 2014, Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX), the Chairwoman of the GOP House Working Group on national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border released their recommendations and solutions. Granger stated, “This morning, I presented to the House GOP Conference the recommendations of Speaker Boehner’s working group. I am proud of the set of recommendations and solutions that the working group has crafted over the last few weeks. These recommendations reflect the immediate crisis this country faces by providing common-sense, compassionate, but tough solutions.”
The working group which was setup by Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) includes the following members:
• Rep. John Carter (R-TX)
• Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
• Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
• Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) (Chairwomen)
• Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX)
• Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM)
• Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ)
Here is a summary list of the GOP working group’s recommendations and solutions:
• Deploy the National Guard to the Southern border to assist Border Patrol • Prohibit the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) from denying or restricting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activities on federal land • Require a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) strategy and implementation plan for the Southwest border • Establish independent commission to develop border security metrics • Establish border security in Central American countries and Mexico • Establish repatriation centers in originating countries • Deploy aggressive messaging campaigns in originating countries and the U.S. to dispel immigration myths and to clarify dangers and legal penalties of entering the United States illegally • Mandate the detention of all Family Units apprehended at the border with a goal of processing them in 5-7 days • Amend the Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act of 2008 so all unaccompanied minors are treated the same • Deploy additional judge teams and temporary judges to expedite the hearing of asylum and credible fear claims • Establish tough penalties for those engaged in human smuggling, including the smuggling of unaccompanied minors • Increase law enforcement operations domestically and in originating countries to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations
For more details on these recommendations and solutions please read Congresswoman Kay Granger’s news release, “Granger Releases Border Crisis Working Group Recommendations“.
Source of Information:
kaygranger.house.gov, 7/23/14, Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX) News Release:
Granger Releases Border Crisis Working Group Recommendations
speaker.gov, 6/24/14, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) News Release:
Boehner: Granger to Lead Working Group on Humanitarian Crisis at Southern Border