WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tuesday night President Donald Trump stressed the urgent humanitarian crisis at our southern border in his first address to the nation. That afternoon, Kansas First District Congressman Roger Marshall addressed the House floor to echo the need to secure our nation’s borders.
Speaking to the nation from the Oval Office for the first time, Trump argued Tuesday night that the wall was needed to resolve a security and humanitarian “crisis,” blaming illegal immigration for what he said was a scourge of drugs and violence in the U.S. and asking: “How much more American blood must we shed before Congress does its job?”
Democrats in response accused Trump appealing to “fear, not facts” and manufacturing a border crisis for political gain.
“The crisis on our southern border is very real,” Marshall said. “When I took the oath to represent the big first district of Kansas, it became my responsibility to put our citizens and their security first. Without secure borders, we cannot ensure our nation’s safety, period. We have 10 of thousands of immigrants filling our entryways every month and in result drugs, criminals, and violence spilling into our country.”
Congressman Marshall challenged anyone that denies the crisis at our borders to go and see the influx of migrants first hand, as he did earlier in the year.
“According to DHS. And U.S. Border patrol, illegal trafficking has dropped more than 90 percent in places where walls and barriers were built,” Marshall said on the House floor. “It’s embarrassing that even with this evidence my friends on the other side of the aisle shut down the government because this Congress cannot do its most basic duty to do its job and prioritize our country’s safety by funding initiatives that we know for a fact work.”
The $5.7 billion in funding that the President is asking will pay off for decades and is a necessary step in securing America’s future.
“It’s crucial that we also address and fix our very broken immigration system and allow hardworking migrants who want to work hard and raise their families in the United States to come,” Marshall said. “There is a right way to do this. There is a win-win-win opportunity.”
In his address, Marshall acknowledged that there is a way for everyone to come out of the shutdown with victories.
“I’m continually frustrated by the narrative we can’t win for all American parties here in these negotiations,” he continued. “This an opportune moment to quit kicking the can down the road and work together to couple border security priorities with long-term immigration fixes. As we enter the 17th day of government shutdown, I will continue to stand to secure America and hope my colleagues choose an open government over open borders.”
Trump addressed the nation as the shutdown stretched through its third week, with hundreds of thousands of federal workers going without pay and some congressional Republicans growing increasingly jittery about the spreading impact of the impasse. Trump visited the Capitol on Wednesday to meet with Senate Republicans, inviting Democratic and Republican congressional leaders to return to the White House to meet with him later that day.
