WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) highlighted serious national security issues associated with the crisis at the southwest border during a House Armed Services Committee hearing titled, “National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activity in North and South America.”
During the hearing, McClain questioned U.S. Air Force General Glen VanHerck, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command on the national security concerns the crisis at the border is creating.
“The disastrous situation at our southern border is not only a humanitarian crisis, but a national security crisis. My question is simple, has President Biden’s actions to open our southern border, and encourage migrants to illegally cross our border, made the United States safer or less safe,” asked Rep. McClain. “Do President Biden’s border policies threaten security and stability in Mexico and the Northern Triangle?”
In responding to Rep. McClain’s questions, General VanHerck acknowledged that the situation at the border is a national security issue.
“We have a national security imperative right now on our southern border that we need to deal with. Transnational criminal organizations creating an environment not conducive to successful rearing of families, employment, economics, etc. combine that with COVID and two major natural disasters and you have a confluence of things ongoing,” said Gen. VanHerck. “I would say there is a perception that folks can come here and bring your family with you. What we need to do is approach this from a national security imperative and come up with a whole of government problem that will secure our borders. I’m concerned from a homeland defense perspective. I believe the symptoms that we’re seeing today are exactly that, symptoms. Migration, counternarcotics, human trafficking, the problem and the challenge is creating an environment where these folks succeed so they don’t feel like they need to migrate and that takes a whole of nation approach to get after transnational organizations.”
“Our military acknowledged the crisis at the border is a national security issue,” said Rep. McClain. “It is time for President Biden to admit there’s a problem at the border and fix it.”
For video of Rep. McClain’s remarks, click here.
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