January 30, 2024
Washington, D.C.
Conservatives are united on a singular fact: President Biden could secure the border if he simply enforced the laws on the books.
With that in mind, we are opposed to any border proposal that does not, above all else, impose policies that will dramatically reduce the flow of illegal immigration, ensure that new and existing laws are enforced, and address the problem of illegal immigrants voting in U.S. elections.
Rather than focusing on these goals, the Republican Leader, Mitch McConnell and Senator James Lankford are currently negotiating a border proposal with Senate Democrats and the Biden White House which accomplishes none of them. Worse, this is occurring while the House is proceeding with the impeachment of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
While negotiators continue to withhold legislative language, details that have been leaked suggest that the proposal is deeply insufficient at controlling the historic and unprecedented number of illegal crossings facilitated by the Biden administration. Worse, it appears that the deal would do serious harm to a future president’s ability to enforce order at the border. The proposal in effect codifies Biden’s illegal abuses of the system and enshrines programmatic amnesty into law.
Of immediate concern is the fact that the proposal countenances allowing either four or five thousand illegal crossings to take place until expulsion measures kick in – a rate of roughly 150,000 crossings a month, or 1.8 million per year. It is outrageous to even consider acknowledging in law that there are any number of illegal crossings considered tolerable. Moreover, it is an open question as to whether such a statute would compromise a future president’s ability to enforce emergency measures on less than four or five thousand crossers.
These actions – as well as others being considered – are dramatic changes to existing law and need thorough review. But as it stands, no text has been released, and both Republican and Democratic leaders have made clear that they do not intend to have any committee process on this legislation. Neither will they commit to an open amendment process, or a designated amount of time to allow senators to review the forthcoming legislation before being required to vote.
The reality is that President Biden does not need new authorities to secure the border. He simply has to enforce existing law. President Trump was able to secure the border and drop illegal crossings to historic lows simply by enforcing the laws available to him. It is a fiction that more authority is needed to help President Biden do his job, and it is questionable whether, even with new legal authorities granted to him, Biden would even enforce those laws.
The House has passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023. The bill makes necessary changes to the law to provide for more robust, streamlined enforcement, and critically, has the accountability mechanisms necessary to make sure the law is enforced.
Senate Republicans should stop negotiating against themselves and instead refuse to pass any border policy that is not H.R. 2. They should certainly walk away from a so-called negotiation that enshrines an acceptable number of illegal crossings into law and does nothing to address outstanding problems like the administration’s abuse of parole authority and illegal immigrants voting in federal and state elections. And finally, no conservative should support any proposal without the ability to meaningfully review and amend it.
We urge all conservatives to reject this border proposal and stand united behind the House passed H.R. 2 which will actually secure the border.
| The Honorable Edwin Meese III Attorney General President Ronald Reagan (1985-1988) |
The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell Chairman, Conservative Action Project Chairman, CNP Action, Inc. |
| The Honorable Jim DeMint Chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute Member, US Senate (SC 2005-2013) |
Rebecca Weber CEO Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) |
| Ed Corrigan Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project President & CEO, Conservative Partnership Institute |
Kevin Roberts, Ph.D. President The Heritage Foundation |
| Jenny Beth Martin Chairman Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund |
Bob Carlstrom President AMAC Action |
| Chad Connelly Founder and President Faith Wins |
Lori Roman President ACRU Action Fund |
| The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop White House Advisor President Ronald Reagan (1981-1985) |
Cleta Mitchell, Esq. Senior Legal Fellow Conservative Partnership Institute |
| Myron Ebell Chairman American Lands Council |
Thomas E. McClusky Principal Greenlight Strategies, LLC |
| Kelly J. Shackelford, Esq. President and CEO First Liberty Institute |
L. Brent Bozell III Founder and President Media Research Center |
| Mike Berry General Counsel and Director of External Affairs First Liberty Institute |
David N. Bossie President Citizens United |
| Wesley Denton Chief Operating Officer Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) |
Scott T. Parkinson |
| Tom Jones President American Accountability Foundation |
The Honorable Bob McEwen U.S. House of Representatives Former Member, Ohio |
| William L. Walton The Bill Walton Show Resolute Protector Foundation |
Terry Schilling President American Principles Project |
| David Bozell President ForAmerica |
The Honorable Paul S. Teller, Ph.D. Executive Director Advancing American Freedom |
| Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin (Ret.) Executive Vice President Family Research Council |
Joseph Miller Executive Director Citizens for Renewing America |
| Steve Moore Co-Founder Committee to Unleash Prosperity |
The Honorable Morton C. Blackwell President The Leadership Institute |
| Allen J. Hébert Chairman American-Chinese Fellowship of Houston |
Rod D. Martin Founder & CEO Martin Capital, Inc. |
| Christina Murphy, Esq. President The Martin Foundation |
Guillermo J. Aragon Chief Strategy Officer Martin Capital, Inc. |
| Lourdes Cosio Campaign for the American Future |
Craig Shirley Presidential Historian, Reagan Biographer Author, The Search for Reagan |
| Seton Motley President Less Government |
Kristen A. Ullman President Eagle Forum |
| Richard Wright Owner R & S LLC |
Anne Schlafly Chairman Eagle Forum |
| Melvin Adams President Noah Webster Educational Foundation |
Jack Park Conservative Activist and Donor |
| The Honorable Gary L. Bauer President American Values |
Lee Beaman CEO Beaman Ventures |
| Dr. Robert W. Malone President The Malone Institute |
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis President 60 Plus Association |
| James L. Martin Founder/Chairman 60 Plus Association |
Floyd G. Brown Founder The Western Journal |
| Judson Phillips Founder Tea Party Nation |
Brigitte Gabriel Chairwoman and CEO ACT For America |
| Dr. Paige Patterson President Sandy Creek Foundation |
Darrel W. Johnson CEO Attic Corporation |
| The Honorable Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. Former Congressman 1st District of Kansas |
C. Preston Noell III President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. |
| The Honorable Charles J. Cooper Assistant Attorney General, President Ronald Reagan (1985-1988) Cooper & Kirk PLLC |
Michael Lunsford Executive Director Citizens for a New Louisiana |
| Nancy Schulze National Strategic Advisor Physicians for Reform |
Elaine Donnelly President Center for Military Readiness |
| The Honorable Mike Hill Former Member Florida State House |
Walker Wildmon CEO AFA Action |
| Andrew Roth President State Freedom Caucus Network |
Collin Moseley State Director, Illinois State Freedom Caucus Network |
| Darin Gaub Co-Founder and National Spokesman Restore Liberty |
The Honorable Peter J. Thomas Chairman The Conservative Caucus |
| The Honorable Blaine J. Wilhour State Representative, Illinois Illinois Freedom Caucus |
The Honorable George K. Rasley, Jr. Managing Editor ConservativeHQ.com |
| The Honorable Richard Hayes State Representative State of Texas |
Connie Hair State Director, Louisiana State Freedom Caucus Network |
| Evan Newman State Director, South Carolina State Freedom Caucus Network |
The Honorable Rob Harris State Representative, South Carolina South Carolina Freedom Caucus |
| Nick Kerin State Director, Pennsylvania State Freedom Caucus Network |
Kay R. Daly President Coalition for a Fair Judiciary |
| Shea Bradley-Farrell, Ph.D. President Counterpoint Institute for Policy, Research and Education |
The Honorable Tim Jones Fmr. Speaker, Missouri House of Representatives State Director, Missouri Freedom Caucus Network |
| Jessie Rubino State Director, Wyoming State Freedom Caucus Network |
The Honorable Valarie Hodges State Senator Louisiana Legislature |
| Kellee Hennessy Dickerson State Representative Louisiana House of Representatives |
The Honorable Kathy Edmonston State Representative Louisiana House of Representatives |
| The Honorable Josiah Magnuson State Representative, South Carolina South Carolina Freedom Caucus |
The Honorable Joe Hamm State Representative Pennsylvania House of Representatives |
| Peter Egan | Paul Gessing President Rio Grande Foundation |
| The Honorable Jordan Pace State Representative, South Carolina South Carolina Freedom Caucus |
The Honorable John Bear State Representative, Wyoming House of Representatives Chairman, Wyoming Freedom Caucus |
| Tom DeWeese President American Policy Center |
Joseph Gregory CEO Gregory Mgt. Co. |
| Suanne Edmiston State Director, Arizona State Freedom Caucus Network |
The Honorable Dodie Horton State Representative Louisiana House of Representatives |
| Karen England President Capitol Resource Institute |
Rodney Schamerhorn State Representative Louisiana House of Representatives |
| Eunie Smith President Eagle Forum of Alabama |
William P. Mills, III Member Council for National Policy |
| Kelly M. Kullberg General Secretary American Association of Evangelicals (AAE) |
David Kullberg Executive Director Christians for A Sound Economy (CASE) |
| David L. O’Neal State Representative South Carolina House of Representatives |
The Honorable Dan Caulkins State Representative, Illinois Illinois Freedom Caucus |
| Maria Nate State Director, Idaho State Freedom Caucus Network |
Katrina Snyder Development Specialist Foundation for American Christian Education |
| Thomas Beach State Representative South Carolina House of Representatives |
Phillip Tarver State Representative Louisiana House of Representatives |
| Augusta H. Petrone Iowa Co-Chair Reagan-Bush ’84 |
The Honorable Jay Galle State Representative Louisiana House of Representatives |
| Michelle Easton President Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women |
The Honorable Melissa Oremus State Representative, South Carolina South Carolina Freedom Caucus |
| The Honorable Joe Whote State Representative, South Carolina South Carolina Freedom Caucus |
Tim Macy Chairman Gun Owners of America |
| Tim LeFever Chairman Capitol Resource Institute |
The Honorable James C. Miller III Budget Director for President Reagan (1985-1988) |
| The Honorable RJ May State Representative South Carolina House of Representatives |
Dr. Jerry A. Johnson President (2013-2019) National Religious Broadcasters |
| The Honorable Stewart Jones State Representative South Carolina House of Representatives |
The Honorable Dawn Keefer State Representative Pennsylvania House of Representatives |
| Dr. Karladine Graves Physician/Activist |
William Shaker CEO Washington Marketing Group |
| Peggy Dau Co-Founder NationsNet.org |
Robert K. Fischer Meeting Coordinator Conservatives of Faith |
| Joan Holt Lindsey President Lindsey Communications |
Dr. Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D. Founder and CEO, TheTruthCentral.com Corstet, LLC |
| The Honorable Jacyn Gallagher State Representative Idaho House of Representatives |
The Honorable Cindy Carlson State Senator Idaho Legislature |
| The Honorable Tony Wisniewski State Representative Idaho House of Representatives |
The Honorable Scott Herndon State Senator Idaho Legislature |
| The Honorable Glenneda Zuiderveld State Senator, Idaho Idaho Freedom Caucus |
The Honorable Allen E. Slagle State Representative Wyoming State Legislature |
| Kielle Lindsey President The Lindsey Foundation |
Mike Kingsley State Representative Idaho House of Representatives |
| Colonel Dan Foreman USAF (Ret. ) |
Kimberly Fletcher Founder Moms for America |
| The Honorbale Heather Scott State Representative Idaho House of Representatives |
Tim Throckmorton President Lifepointe Minisries |
| The Honorable Joe Alfieri State Representative Idaho House of Representatives |
Kathleen Patten President & CEO American Target Advertising, Inc. |
| The Honorable Beryl Amedee State Representative Louisiana House of Representatives |
The Honorable Elaine Price State Representative, Idaho Idaho Freedom Caucus |
Signatures updated: 1/31/24
All organizations listed for IDENTIFICATION purposes only.
