WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce praised the introduction of the bicameral ‘Bipartisan Border Solutions Act of 2021,’ which would address the ongoing immigration crisis at the southern border. The legislation was introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Representative Henry Cuellar (D, TX-28), and Representative Tony Gonzales (R, TX-23). U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, Neil Bradley, released the statement below following the bill’s introduction:
“We applaud Senator Cornyn, Senator Sinema, Representative Cuellar, and Representative Gonzales for their leadership in introducing the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act of 2021. The sharp increase in the number of individuals crossing our southern border and the severe overcrowding at our nation’s border facilities present a set of circumstances that Congress cannot ignore. Our leaders need to address this pressing situation, and the only way that meaningful policy changes will be enacted is if Republicans and Democrats work together to achieve those results for the American people.
“The Bipartisan Border Solutions Act of 2021 would enact several commonsense measures to deal with the current influx of arrivals," Bradley continued. "These include expanding the number of border processing facilities on our southwest border, hiring additional agency personnel to increase DHS’s processing capacity, expediting the asylum adjudication process, and improving the level of care that the federal government provides unaccompanied children. These types of provisions are not only necessary to confront the ongoing crisis on our southern border, but they also need to be considered by Congress as they debate other immigration issues where reform is desperately needed.”
Earlier this month, the U.S. Chamber hosted a Common Grounds discussion with Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC) and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) on opportunities for consensus, legitimate policy differences, and pathways to compromise, with a focus on immigration reform. Click here to watch the full program.
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