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Washington, D.C. -  Today, Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36) released the following statement regarding the border situation:

“What is happening at the border is unfortunate and a direct consequence of not implementing and enforcing our immigration laws. For this reason, I support the Administration’s zero tolerance policy and advocate for continuing it. Until our borders are secure, we cannot keep heading down a path that allows hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens, including criminals and terrorists, to continue crossing our borders and vanish into the interior of the U.S.  

We are a compassionate nation, but we are also a nation of laws. We cannot continue to allow and encourage illegal immigration that eliminates jobs for American citizens and increases the risk of terrorists and MS-13 entering the country.

No one should be treated inhumanely, and the facilities in question are providing these children with a safe environment and the necessities for a temporary stay as officials work to resolve their individual situations as quickly as possible. This concept is no different than the steps our government takes when an American citizen is arrested or incarcerated, and their children are left without a parent or guardian.

We must also remember that many of these procedures are in place for the safety and protection of children. We already know that human trafficking and child labor is a problem in the U.S. and the last thing we want to see is more children in danger because the U.S. Border Patrol neglected to do its due diligence.

I am in support of changes to the law that would expedite the immigration review process and allow families to remain together in the same facility as they await the outcome of their case, but it needs to be part of a larger solution to fix our broken immigration system. 

Democrats are choosing to attack the President for enforcing our immigration laws, but the sooner they end their political stunts and work with us on a comprehensive immigration and border security bill, the sooner this can end. I remain committed to working with my colleagues in Congress to finally pass a bill to secure our borders and fix the immigration system that has been failing our country for decades.”