The invasion at the southern border

Right now, our nation is facing an unprecedented border crisis. In just December alone, more than 300,000 illegal immigrants were caught trying to cross our southern border -- the most ever in one month and a 300% increase from December 2020 when President Donald Trump was in office. In total, there have been more than 10 million illegal border entries under President Joe Biden.

When you look at the facts, there's no question the Left's radical immigration policies are responsible for the invasion of our southern border. Whether it's Biden's reckless decision to undo Trump's effective policies, his administration's refusal to enforce the law or Senate Democrats blocking House Republicans' tough immigration legislation, the Left has no one but themselves to blame for the chaos at our border.

But make no mistake: House Republicans are preparing to hold this administration accountable for its disastrous policies. On Jan. 31, the House Homeland Security Committee advanced articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas -- Biden's top border official and a main driver of this out-of-control crisis. House Republicans' investigation has provided mountains of evidence outlining how Mayorkas has disregarded, ignored, or abused multiple laws, court orders, and rulings. On top of that, Mayorkas has breached the trust of Congress and the American people -- including when he lied under oath by telling Congress the border was secure. Enough is enough: it's time to remove Mayorkas for failing to protect the homeland.

It's no secret that terror groups are exploiting our open borders. Since Biden took office, at least 300 suspected terrorists tried to sneak into the U.S. We recently learned that a known terrorist was caught then released into the U.S. where he was allowed to roam freely for nearly a year. On Jan. 31, the House passed another important piece of immigration legislation that would ban members of Hamas and other terror groups involved in any of the terror attacks against Israel that began on Oct. 7 from entering the U.S. It's shameful that Cori Bush, one of our own Missouri representatives, was among the two members who voted against this bill.

Over the last few months, Biden and members of the Senate have been working together on an immigration bill. The bottom line is that I won't support any legislation that doesn't address the root cause of the crisis: the Left's open-border agenda. Now that we're in an election year, Biden and Washington Democrats want Americans to believe that securing the border is a priority. That's nonsense. There are numerous actions they could take right now to get the border crisis under control. The Democrat-controlled Senate could pass and send to the president's desk Republicans' Secure the Border Act. And with the stroke of a pen, Biden could bring back the nearly 100 effective border policies he got rid of in his first 100 days in office, including halting the construction of the border wall, reinstating catch-and-release, and ending the "Remain-in Mexico" program.

The number one priority for the American people is stopping the invasion at our southern border. As then-President Trump once said, "A nation without borders is not a nation." He's exactly right, and I will continue fighting to make our border secure again like it was when he was in office.

Jason Smith (R-MO) represents the eighth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.