Nicole Malliotakis

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a New York City Representative in a post-9/11 world to talk about how concerned I am that our border is not secure. Since Joe Biden took office, CBP has encountered at least 340 individuals on the terrorist watch list along the southern border or in our interior. For example, an Afghan migrant on the terrorist watch list spent nearly 1 year inside the United States after he was apprehended and released by CBP agents in March of 2023. He was processed at the border. CBP released him without alerting ICE officials about potential terrorism ties, and he was free to fly domestically in the United States. He was arrested in February 2024, then released by an immigration judge in March, who was not told that he was a national security risk. Last month, an illegal immigrant from Lebanon caught at the border admitted to CBP that he was a member of Hezbollah and was headed to New York to try to make a bomb. In February of 2024, ICE apprehended another terrorist who was allowed to roam in the U.S. for nearly 1 year after crossing the border illegally, and the terrorist was a member of Al-Shabaab, who was only arrested after ICE became aware of his threat to national security. Additionally, in February, a Colombian man on the terrorist watch list was caught crossing into the Eagle Pass area. In August of last year, it was discovered that a smuggler with ISIS ties helped more than a dozen Uzbek migrants into the United States over the southern border. In April of 2021, CBP announced that they had arrested two Yemeni men on the terrorist watch list in separate incidents as they attempted to illegally cross the southern border in California, and they were both on no-fly lists. Again, we have caught at least 340 individuals, either at the border or in the interior. However, the more concerning number is who did we not catch? We know that nearly 2 million people, estimated by CBP, have entered this country without any encounter by government or law enforcement. We don't know who they are, where they are, or what their intentions are. That comes down to about 800 individuals a day. We need to secure our border, particularly with growing threats from Iran--who said they want to commit an attack on our own soil--and Russia and China. If we are going to send our allies money, which we should support our allies, we need to ensure that our own homeland is secure against these threats, as well. Even the FBI Director is confirming that joint terrorism task forces in all 56 of FBI's field offices are occupied with threats coming across our border. It is unconscionable to me that the President refuses to reverse any of his more than 60 border policies that he changed via executive order. It is also unconscionable to me that Senator Schumer refuses to work with us to force the President to reverse these policies, because the President has discretion and put these policies in place to begin with and can reverse them. I believe our Speaker needs to go back to Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer and say: If we are going to pass foreign aid, we must have at least a few commonsense border protection measures in there. I don't think it is that hard to ask from Republicans or Democrats to say at least let's prohibit individuals who are gang members, terrorists, or criminals from entering into this country.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following Proclamation recognizing Christopher Santangelo, President of the New York City Chapter of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association on his retirement after 27 years of federal law enforcement service on April 27, 2024. Whereas Mr. Santangelo, who grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn from childhood until his early 30s, is a product of a New York City Education. He graduated from Kingsborough Community College with an AAS degree in accounting, earned a BS in accounting from Brooklyn College, and obtained an MS from John Jay College. Whereas Christopher Santangelo began his federal law enforcement career in January 1997 with the United States Park Police in Washington, D.C. where he was stationed to protect the White House in our nation's capital. Whereas from mid-1998 to early 2000, Mr. Santangelo was assigned to the New York Field Division, where he led the JBU unit to numerous arrests, earning him the Officer of the Month award five times. Additionally, Mr. Santangelo was assigned to one or more NYPD narcotics task forces and served as a plainclothes officer with the U.S. Park Police in Operation Weed and Seed, covering areas in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Whereas in April 2000, Mr. Santangelo became a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and was assigned to the New York Field Division, Group V--HIDTA. Mr. Santangelo survived the World Trade Center attacks and participated in the recovery efforts for several months. As a result of his unwavering dedication, Mr. Santangelo was awarded a commendation for meritorious service for his actions during the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks and the subsequent evidence recovery. Whereas after transferring to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in June 2002, Mr. Santangelo conducted investigations into fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement related to USDA programs and operations. Mr. Santangelo conducted or participated in hundreds of program crime investigations, including inquiries into the Food and Nutrition Service's (FNS) EBT program, violations of the Animal Welfare Act, violations of the Sherman Act, farm loan fraud, prohibited agricultural product smuggling, and agroterrorism. He also served as the anti-money laundering subject matter expert (SME) for the Northeast Region. Whereas for his investigative excellence, Mr. Santangelo is a past award recipient of the Council of Inspectors General (CIGIE) Investigative Excellence Award for leading a multi- million-dollar civil investigation into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Error Rate. Additionally, Mr. Santangelo received recognition from the NYPD Detective Endowment Association for his participation and assistance while being assigned part-time to the NYPD Counter Terrorism Bureau in Brooklyn, New York, from 2002 to 2005. Whereas in February 2017, Mr. Santangelo transferred to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General, New York Field Division, where he investigated failed banks and former members of the board of directors of failed banks. Mr. Santangelo successfully investigated global financial institutions for market manipulation in Foreign Currency (FX) trading, as well as in the High Yield Junk and Variable Rate bond markets. Additionally, Mr. Santangelo was the co-case agent in United States v. Rishi Shah, Shradha Agarwal, Brad Purdy, et al., in which the former executives were convicted in a $1 billion corporate fraud case, resulting in him receiving the Attorney General Award in January 2024. Whereas in June 2022, Mr. Santangelo was promoted to the SSA position within the FDIC-OIG, New York Regional Office, which covers New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and all of New England while also serving as the lead SSA for investigations in the Eastern District of New York (encompassing Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties), leading or coordinating investigations into bank insiders, borrowers, and accountants suspected of committing bank, wire and elder fraud. Furthermore, Mr. Santangelo personally directed disaster relief and romance scam investigations in the Smithtown--Hauppauge--Kings Park area related to Hurricane Sandy, as well as investigations related to the CARES Act. Whereas since 2009 Mr. Santangelo has served as the President of the New York Chapter of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Vice President of the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, and is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 53. Whereas our Nation is forever indebted to Christopher Santangelo and offers its sincerest gratitude and warmest wishes in his retirement.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following Proclamation acknowledging April 17, 2024, as the 500th anniversary of the discovery of New York Bay by Giovanni da Verrazzano: Whereas Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in 1485 in Val di Greve, Republic of Florence, which is now a part of the Italian Republic; Whereas King Francis I of France commissioned Verrazzano to lead an expedition aimed at finding a western passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean; Whereas Verrazzano's discovery of New York Bay expanded maritime knowledge of what became the East Coast of the United States and laid the foundation for future commerce and settlements in North America; Whereas Verrazzano's voyage sparked future explorations of the New World, including, 85 years later, Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage to New York Bay to establish New Amsterdam; Whereas New Amsterdam became New York on September 8, 1664; Whereas New York City has the highest economic impact of any city in the United States and continues to serve as a major global economic hub, and New York Bay continues to be a major hub for trade and commerce; Whereas New York Bay, home to the Statue of Liberty, is where 12 million immigrants legally passed through Ellis Island at a rate of 5,000 people per day from 1892 to 1954; Whereas the New York City metropolitan area is home to over 2.5 million Italian Americans; Whereas to commemorate and underscore the significant impact of Giovanni da Verrazzano's discovery of New York Bay, on March 9, 1960, Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed legislation that named the bridge connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn as the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge; Whereas the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was inaugurated on November 21, 1964, was the world's longest suspension bridge until 1981, and spans the Narrows; and Whereas the legacy of Giovanni da Verrazzano is further honored at Battery Park, New York City, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, recognizing Verrazzano's impact as the first European explorer to chart what became the East Coast of the United States.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask the question, how many more Americans must die before President Joe Biden reverses the 60-plus policies he put in place that led to our border being wide open? We know that under sections 1182 and 1225 of title 8 of immigration law, the President has the authority to secure the border and use his discretion to implement policies. Sadly, the President has used his discretion instead to completely dismantle our southern border, allowing for dangerous gang members, criminals, smugglers, and illegal immigrants to enter. Right now, the President can end catch and release. He can reinstate remain in Mexico. He can make changes to asylum and parole. He can expedite removal of individuals. He can shut down the border altogether. He can cut off funding to nonprofit organizations, nongovernmental partners, that are basically allowing people to travel all around our country. Again, sadly, President Biden used these authorities instead, to dismantle the policies of President Trump. As a result, we have seen so many Americans being killed. Illegal immigrants have come over our border. I will read some of the headlines. This is just from this year alone. ``Illegal immigrant from El Salvador charged with murder in shootout that killed 2-year-old boy, injured teen mom.'' ``Venezuelan illegal immigrant charged with sexual assault against 14-year-old in Virginia.'' ``ICE confirms Georgia student murder suspect entered U.S. illegally, was previously arrested in NYC.'' ``Five-time deported illegal alien accused of killing 10-year-old boy walking home from school.'' ``Honduran illegal migrant arrested for rape of girl, 14, stabbing man during knifepoint robbery.'' ``Illegal migrant charged in Michigan woman's killing was deported under Trump but snuck back in: ICE.'' ``Illegal migrant deported 8 times with 11 arrests now charged with murder in Ohio.'' These are just some of the victims of President Biden's open border policy. If we go into last year, we can talk more about an illegal immigrant who had an outstanding warrant for attempted strangulation. He approached a car and shot a woman seven times because she wouldn't hang up the phone when he asked her to. An illegal immigrant was charged with sadistically murdering a 16- year-old Texas high schooler, stabbing her to death and dumping her body in the bathtub. Her body was discovered by her mother. An illegal alien released by the Biden administration was arrested for raping an 11-year-old girl, strangling her to death after knocking on the door of her home. An illegal who entered our country under the Biden administration was charged with driving a minivan into a schoolbus full of children, flipping the bus and killing an 11-year-old boy. An illegal alien repeatedly stabbed and mutilated individuals and then dumped them in a field in Daytona Beach, Florida. An illegal immigrant was arrested for murdering a 57-year-old, a mother of three and a grandmother of four, in Texas. This is a 5-minute speech, and I am only allowed 5 minutes, or else I could go on and on. Again, I will ask, how many more murders of Americans, whether it be by stabbing, drunk driving, shooting, or fentanyl, will it take before the President reverses his dangerous policies at our southern border or the Senate takes up our legislation, H.R. 2, the Border Security Act, which would require him to take action at the border? Giving the President a little more discretion, as the Senate has suggested, is not going to resolve the issue because the President is not using the discretion he currently has. We need to require him to take these actions to reinstate the commonsense policies of the previous administration that were working and stop this President from giving parole to individuals who are dangerous gang members wreaking havoc in cities like mine in New York.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague Anthony D'Esposito for his service and for highlighting the dangers that our law enforcement face each and every day. As a Representative from New York City, it breaks my heart to see that we are losing police officers year after year, not just to retirements and then those who are fleeing our State, but those who are being murdered by criminals who should not be on our streets. We talked about how 374 police officers have been killed in the line of duty since Joe Biden became President in 2021. That includes five of our brave NYPD: Detective Tsakos, Detective Rivera, Detective Mora, and Officer Fayaz, and the latest being Jonathan Diller. We must listen to the words and the pleas of their widows, of their parents, of their family members, of their fellow law enforcement officers who are saying that this is preventable. If we see that our police officers are not safe in cities like ours, how can the public be safe? It is truly tragic because we know it is preventable, and there are a certain number of laws that the State legislature in New York has put in place that have caused this crisis. The individuals who were responsible for the death of Officer Diller were career criminals. Guy Rivera, who was the one who pulled the trigger, had 21 prior arrests, and he was still on our streets. He was most recently released from a 5-year prison stint for a drug conviction, and then he went off to parole in 2022. He was on the streets because of a new law that the legislature passed called the Less is More Act. He had parole violations, but he wasn't in jail, and that is because of the actions of our Governor and the State legislature. His partner, the other perp, was arrested at least 14 times for things like robbery, assault, and even attempted murder in 2001. He was sentenced to a decade behind bars, but guess what? He is back on the street. In April, he was caught with a loaded illegal gun. The DA sought bail. The judge agreed on bail, but not to monitoring, so he made the bail and was released back onto our streets again. It is so tragic to see that these laws put in place by our legislature have caused the deaths of these police officers. New Yorkers are being hurt each and every day by people who have not a dozen, not two dozen, not three dozen, but sometimes even four dozen prior arrests. They are still on the streets because of the revolving door. We just heard of another cop who was hospitalized last week after being attacked by six migrants at a Target on the Upper East Side. Once again, lawlessness is taking over the streets of New York City. What you are seeing taking place is a combination of the Federal policies of this President, open border policies, the policies of our left-leaning State legislature with bail reform, Raise the Age, as well as the Less is More Act, and couple it with the city policy that handcuffs the NYPD and doesn't allow for any cooperation for individuals who are committing crimes to be deported or at least detained. If ICE makes a detainer request for these individuals, which they have, the city won't comply. They will just release them back on the street so they can continue wreaking havoc in our city, in our country. That is wrong. It is not going to stop, and we are not going to bring public safety to the streets of this city or this country, unless we change these policies. The left-leaning Democrats who continue to vote for these policies, support these policies, refuse to repeal or even adjust or fix these policies, we are speaking to them tonight. We are echoing what the widows, the children, the parents, the family members, and the community where these police officers are and the millions of crime victims we are seeing across our country reside. They want action, and they want it now. We must continue to fight for it. We won't stop until we get cooperation from the other side of the aisle.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following Proclamation recognizing Virginia Allen and the Black Angels. Whereas: Virginia Allen arrived to Staten Island, New York at the age of 16 to work as a nurse at Staten Island Sea View Hospital in 1947. Whereas: Staten Island Sea View Hospital opened in 1913 specifically to treat patients with Tuberculosis and, at its peak, Sea View Hospital saw nearly 2,000 patients and was one of only four municipal hospitals in New York City that did not discriminate against Black nurses. Whereas: Virginia Allen received her training at Staten Island Seaview Hospital and courageously stepped up on the frontlines to be one of the 300 `Black Angels' to treat tuberculosis patients. Whereas: the Black Angels were courageous, dedicated, and bold in answering the call to come to Sea View and risk their lives caring for the grievously sick and ``indigent consumptives'' of New York City, who had been banished to this woefully understaffed sanatorium. Whereas: Virginia Allen served for 10 years at Staten Island's Sea View Hospital, working in the pediatric ward. The Black Angels' years of expertise played a significant role in the first ever human trials of isoniazid, the first drug to cure tuberculosis. Since its discovery in 1952, tens of millions of lives have been saved. Whereas: The Black Angels were activists and active members of the NAACP, neighborhood churches, and community groups, and became founding members of the Lincoln Hospital Alumni Association, the Urban League Guild, and the Women's Civic and Political Union. They were fierce advocates for the integration of Black nurses into the U.S. military and American Nurses Association, and in New York City they worked toward desegregating the hospital system. Whereas: Virginia Allen continued to serve her community as President of the North Shore Staten Island section of the National Council of Negro Women. Whereas: The people of Staten Island are grateful for the years of service by Virginia Allen and all the Black Angels who selflessly served on the front lines at Sea View Hospital to treat tuberculosis patients.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following proclamation: Whereas: Morquio A syndrome, a classification of Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) disorders, is a rare, progressive genetic disorder that affects approximately 1 in every 300,000 births; Whereas: individuals affected by Morquio A syndrome do not have or do not produce enough enzymes that break down sugar chains naturally in the body; Whereas: the buildup of sugars negatively impacts the skeletal system and eventually the organ systems; Whereas the condition of Morquio A syndrome worsens over time and there is no cure; Whereas there is only one FDA-approved medication for Morquio A syndrome, a synthetic version of the enzyme that patients lack; Whereas this treatment is a four-hour weekly infusion that helps slow the rapid progression of the disease; Whereas patients receiving treatment for Morquio A syndrome often need to see numerous specialty doctors frequently and may also require many services for school-age children; Whereas it is imperative that there be greater awareness of this serious health condition, and more must be done to increase activity at the local, state, and national levels; Whereas ``Morquio A Syndrome Awareness Day'' is expected to be observed in the United States for years to come, providing hope and information for patients, caregivers, and families around the country: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- Supports the designation of ``Morquio A Syndrome Awareness Day''; and Recognizes the importance of, with respect to Morquio A syndrome-- Improving awareness; Encouraging accurate and early diagnosis; Advancing research; Developing new treatments, diagnostics, and cures; and Identifying regulatory pathways for drug development of ultrarare diseases like Morquio A syndrome.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Black History Month, I rise today to recognize U.S. Coast Guard Captain Zeita Merchant, commander of the Port of New York, based in my district in Staten Island. With the announcement that she will be promoted to Rear Admiral in the Coast Guard, Captain Merchant is making history by becoming the highest ranking African-American woman in the U.S. Coast Guard's 233- year history. Throughout her nearly 27-year career, she has commanded maritime operations in Chicago, Texas, Miami, New Orleans, and New York, many times being either the first minority or the first woman to hold her position. In many cases, she was both. On top of her workplace accolades, she has also received more than a dozen academic, community service, and military honors. On Staten Island, Captain Merchant has overseen the busiest port in our Nation to keep our maritime commerce moving, stop the flow of drugs coming over our borders, conduct search and rescue missions, and protect our national security at sea. She has managed more than 1,000 personnel in 12 commands over an area spanning more than 6,000 square miles. On a personal note, I admire Captain Merchant's dedication and commitment to protecting New York City's waters. She will be truly missed by me and our entire community. We know that she will make us proud as she assumes her new role here in Washington, D.C.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Smith and the entire committee for their hard work on this. Trump's tax cuts created jobs, lifted wages, led to 50-year low unemployment, and lifted millions from poverty. Today, we are building on that success with projobs, progrowth, profamily policies by extending these priorities and increasing the child tax credit as well, but we are also helping build affordable housing by expanding Reagan's initiatives, and we are enabling Taiwanese investment in semiconductor manufacturing here in the United States to further create jobs, enhance our supply chain, and reduce dependency on China. We still have so much work to do. Over the next 2 years, there will be more tax policies coming out of this House. I hope we will be able to increase the standard deduction; that we will be able to provide SALT--State and local tax--relief; and exempt more Social Security income from taxation to help our seniors, who have not seen that change in four decades. Mr. Speaker, I thank everyone on this committee who worked so hard in a bipartisan manner to get this done. I look forward to seeing it pass in both Houses.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to highlight to my colleagues what exactly is happening in New York City as a result of Joe Biden's manufactured open-borders policy and the crisis that has been created in terms of a migrant crisis in New York City. This morning, a lot of New Yorkers woke up to the news that two of our NYPD officers were attacked by a mob of migrants. It is outrageous to think that individuals who came to this country and claim to be innocent asylum seekers would attack our police officers. That disrespect is unbelievable. Nevertheless, sadly, it is not the only time we have seen crimes like this taking place. Now, let's remember that the individuals who are coming through the southern border are paying thousands of dollars to the drug cartels to be smuggled here. My mayor is further incentivizing this by offering housing, food, healthcare, education, legal services, and laundry services. You name it. The taxpayers are paying to house those individuals who attacked those police officers. Nonetheless, that is not all we are seeing happen. Mr. Speaker, let me show you a few recent headlines all in New York: Illegal immigrant bites off police sergeant's finger after DUI bust, a driving while intoxicated bust; four migrants were arrested for stealing more than $12,000 in goods from Long Island's Macy's; New York City migrant pick-pocketing teams are the newest headache for the NYPD; asylum seeker was accused of killing--of killing--another at Randall's Island migrant shelter; a migrant woman was arrested after slapping an NYPD cop. A migrant was stabbed by girlfriend in a possible love triangle; migrants are behind the boom in New York City's red light district, Democratic mayor, Eric Adams, says. Democratic mayors are also saying this is destroying New York City. We are seeing New York City struggle to pay for this crisis that Joe Biden, again, created with his executive orders and 60 policy changes he made from the Trump administration that made our border wide-open. Chuck Schumer in the Senate refuses to do anything. They refused to pass our bill, H.R. 2, which would end this crisis today. I called ICE this morning, and I said that I want these individuals deported. The ones who are committing crimes like attacking our police officers, can we at least agree as Democrats, Independents, and Republicans that we should not tolerate that? What also really concerns me is that we have caught hundreds of people on the terrorist watch list at our border. As a New Yorker from the post-9/11 world, I have to question that there are 1.8 million people who have totally evaded law enforcement. In fact, the Customs and Border Patrol union leader told us today it is probably more like 4 million. That is on top of the 8 million or so who have come, paid the cartels to come here, and have claimed asylum. We are not even talking about those people who turned themselves in. We are talking about the 4 million got-aways. We don't know who they are, where they are, and what their intentions are. That should concern every single person in this body, particularly, the President of the United States. TSA is allowing individuals to board planes without identification, like the American citizens have to provide when we board planes. They can use a detainer. They can use a warrant for their arrest and all sorts of other documents that are probably produced, by the way, from fake identification that they used to come over the border. That is directly against the 9/11 Commission recommendations. The last thing I just want to talk about is that New York City is complicit because they are not complying with detainer requests. ICE is trying to do some of its job. When these people commit crimes, NYPD arrests them, and they release them back onto the street. Why? It is because they are forced to by the Democratic policies put in place by my city and my State. That is unfortunate. So, now, when these two individuals attacked the police officers, they were arrested, but they were released back onto the street. They weren't detained to be sent to deportation. In fact, now ICE has to try to go out and find them with no cooperation from local law enforcement because Democrats in New York have tied their hands. That is unconscionable, it is unsafe, and we have to make sure that the Democrats here, the Democrats over in the Senate, and the President stop playing with fire because this is a dangerous situation. As you know, Mr. Speaker, our ally in Israel is being attacked by terrorists. Iran is making threats against us saying they are going to commit attacks against us on our own soil. We have them attacking American soldiers at 160 different posts in the Middle East. We saw three soldiers killed by Iran proxies the other day. Yet we are going to keep this border open like this? It is unconscionable to me, and I expect action from the Senate. Allowing 1.8 million people to continue to pay the cartels to come in is not border security. So we expect them to either pass our bill, the Border Security Act, or pass something that is reasonable so that we can have a real discussion and debate and seal this border and make our country secure once and for all.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight how President Biden's open-border policies and Senator Schumer's inaction and refusal to pass our Border Security Act is resulting in everyday Americans dying. In 2023, the overdose death rate topped 112,000 individuals, setting a new record. Fentanyl is still the number one killer of Americans aged 18 to 45. Mr. Speaker, 70 to 80 percent of all fentanyl in the U.S. comes from the southern border. That is not just me saying it, that is what the Drug Enforcement Administration is saying. Drug cartels are making $32 million a week smuggling individuals into our country. Yes, every asylum seeker, migrant, illegal immigrant, whatever you want to call them, that is coming through our southern border is paying the drug cartels, who, in turn, then use that money to continue to poison our children by selling drugs. The DEA seized 384 million doses of fentanyl. That is enough to kill every single American. The DEA stated that in December of 2022, most of the fentanyl being trafficked was from two cartels, and it is being mass produced at secret factories in Mexico with chemicals being sourced largely from China. In May of last year, the DEA conducted an operation that resulted in over 3,000 arrests, the seizure of almost 44 million fentanyl pills, more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, roughly 8,400 firearms, and more than $100 million. Yes, the DEA is doing a great job, but look at the pressure we are putting on this agency simply because the President insists on having an open border, and Senator Schumer refuses to do his job. We passed legislation here to add fentanyl and all its analogues to schedule 1, and he refuses to do it over there. We passed the Border Security Act in May, and he has been sitting on it since then. We took action to halt and put sanctions on Chinese entities that are manufacturing and producing this fentanyl, and, yet again, the Senate refuses to take action. According to the DEA, Mexican criminal organizations are now the most prominent wholesale-level heroin traffickers in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Washington, and they have a great presence in my city of New York. Let's talk about New York City. Last year, we saw more than 3,000 people die from drug overdoses in New York City, 80 percent of which were tied to fentanyl. That number has doubled since the New York Democrats and the legislature passed the 2020 bail law allowing traffickers and dealers to be released automatically back onto our streets. Look at these headlines: ``Suspects accused of running $7M fentanyl ring released without bail''; ``NY's lax bail law lets lethal fentanyl peddlers off scot-free''; ``NY bail laws required most of 30 drug dealers busted on [Long Island] for peddling `tranq,' cocaine and fentanyl to be `automatically released' ''; ``Mexican cartel smugglers nabbed with $1.2M worth of meth in NYC--then released thanks to lax bail laws''; ``New York man busted with 20K fentanyl pills released without bail''; ``Six people busted as part of $7M drug trafficking ring in Bronx released without bail under new State law,'' which Kathy Hochul and the Democrats refuse to fix. The Federal policies of the Democrats, coupled with the policies of my State government, have been a complete failure and disaster, and Americans are dying as a result. Once again, I urge my Governor and the State legislature to do their job, and I urge our colleagues on the other side in the Senate to do their job. We took action here in the House. We passed multiple pieces of legislation, most predominantly the Border Security Act. I expect Chuck Schumer to care about what is happening in his own State of New York and do the same.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, we all remember that day, September 30, 2023, at 11:59 a.m. That was when the Democrats actually called for a motion to adjourn. It was a tactic to stop the vote from taking place when we were just 12 hours away from a government shutdown. It was also the day that the leader on the other side tried to give a speech to delay the vote even further. Perhaps the most egregious thing we saw was when one of the Members-- remember, we are Members of Congress--and a Member on the other side of the aisle pulled a fire alarm to disrupt proceedings. It was certainly an attempt to interfere with an official proceeding. Now, the speaker who spoke on his behalf said, no, no, no, he was rushing for a vote. In fact, that is what the statement from Mr. Bowman was, that he was rushing for a vote. Then why, after pulling that alarm, did he show up to vote an hour later? If he was in such a rush to come to the Capitol to vote, why did it take him an hour to actually cast his vote? That is the question that he should be answering, because nothing else truly makes sense. The bottom line here is that he was charged with a crime after an investigation by the police. He did break the law, he did plead guilty, and we need to hold that Member accountable. That is why we have brought this resolution today. It is not pathetic. What is pathetic is somebody who is a grown adult pulling a fire alarm like they are in high school. As a high school principal, Mr. Bowman knows very well the old fire alarm trick, and there would be accountability for his students if they pulled the fire alarm. That is why we are here today making sure there is accountability. That is all that this is about. It is not just accountability if Republicans do something. There is accountability if anyone in this Chamber does something, commits a crime, pleads guilty. That is what we are doing today.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following proclamation. Whereas: On November 25, 2023, hero firefighter Michael W. Daly of Staten Island succumbed to 9/11 related cancer. Whereas: Michael W. Daly, who was born on May 21, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York is the proud father to Mason, Madison, and Logan and loving husband to his wife Jessica. Whereas: Michael W. Daly courageously served as a firefighter with the New York Fire Department's Ladder 87 in Annadale, Staten Island, from 1999 to 2008. Whereas: Michael W. Daly bravely served the City of New York in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks at Ground Zero. Whereas: Due to his work at Ground Zero following the September 11th Attacks, sadly contracted two types of 9/11 related cancers. Whereas: After retiring from the FDNY, Michael W. Daly graciously continued to give back to his community by supporting various charitable causes. These include the March of Dimes, dedicated to saving premature babies, and the American Cancer Society, where he raised awareness of 9/11-related illnesses by serving as the keynote speaker at the 2015 Celebration of Hope Gala. Whereas: The people of the City of New York and Staten Island are thankful for his years of service to the community in the face of the worst attack on our nation. It is my sincere pleasure to honor the life and legacy of Michael W. Daly in recognition and grateful appreciation of his invaluable service to our community and country. Our Nation is forever indebted to him and offers its sincerest gratitude.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Chair, I thank the chairman for yielding. On September 15, 2023, against the strong public outcry from the local community in Brooklyn and across New York City, the lease signed by the Biden administration proposes to house at least 2,000 migrants at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, at a monthly rent of $1.7 million. Under the terms of the lease, the city, who will be reimbursed by the State, will pay the first 3 months up front and the city will be able to use 30 acres of land at the location. The total cost of the agreement is over $20.8 million. According to the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, who himself has said this migrant crisis will destroy New York City, so far in fiscal year 2023, New York City has spent $1.4 billion to deal with this crisis. It is estimated that the taxpayers will be forced to pay $12 billion by 2025 if this crisis is not handled, meaning, if we do not stop the unsustainable and unsafe flow of individuals coming through our southern border. Additionally, the mayor has said because of this crisis, he has to propose a 15 percent across-the-board cut for New York City services for our actual citizens. He wants to bring the number of cops to 1990 levels; thousands of fewer cops on our streets than we had on September 11, 2001. We are having a hiring freeze for not just the cops, but the school safety officers. There is no difference than the left's defund the police agenda than this. This is defunding the police to pay for citizens of other countries to receive free housing and services. They are just not calling it that. The gentleman who spoke prior on the other side of the aisle says that we have to get to the root of the problem. You are absolutely right. Our mayor, by the way, is misinterpreting the right-to-shelter decree, which is intended for homeless New Yorkers, mandating the city to house homeless New Yorkers, not citizens of other countries. Madam Chair, if there is any question about that, we sued, and a judge on Staten Island reaffirmed what we have been saying, that the city has no obligation to house citizens of other countries, and the decree was meant for homeless New Yorkers. However, the mayor continues to use luxury hotel rooms, crushing tourism in New York. They are using school spaces, whether they are former Catholic schools--and they have even used public school gyms and cafeterias at one point--or public and open spaces such as park land, and even assisted living facilities. They actually went so far as to kick a bunch of seniors out of assisted living facilities in my district and then turned around and made it a migrant shelter. How is that fair for the citizens of New York? Let's get to the root of the problem. The root of the problem is that the President of the United States chose to put in place executive orders that dismantled public safety, that took away the tools of our Customs and Border Patrol agents, that allowed for a free flow of individuals into the country, 1.7 million of them. We don't know who they are, where they are, or what their intention is. Then the other 6-million-plus that applied for asylum, guess what, 50 percent of those cases are denied in court. People are abusing the asylum system to gain entry into this country, to be released into this country. Most don't show up to court. When they do, 50 percent of those cases are denied. We need to go back to enforcing the laws, making sure there is a proper process in this country for people, yes, to apply for asylum. My mother is a Cuban refugee. I support people coming to this country and applying for asylum the right way. What is the right way? The right way is you go to the next safe country. We have people from over 120 countries coming through the southern border. We only have two countries bordering the United States, yet we have people from 120 countries, which means the process is not being followed. Madam Chair, I will tell you something else. This is very unfair to immigrants. I don't know if the other side understands what this President is doing. He has a ``last in, first in approach,'' which means that the people coming over the border are having their cases heard first. So the people who have been waiting in line for years--and there is a 10-year backlog right now because of this crisis the President created--those people are not being heard and they are having their cases pushed back even further. How is that right? Maybe you are the party that is anti-immigrant, that you are letting people who applied the right way, who came to this country the right way, to be stuck and pushed to the back of the line.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Chair, the sponsor of this amendment asked the question: Do these individuals have a legal right to apply for asylum? The answer is yes. The thing is, they are supposed to be applying from the next safe country. We have over 120 countries represented at our southern border. We are only bordered by two. Therefore, they are not following the process and are coming illegally. The cartels are the ones benefiting from the current process as it is. I hope the other side understands that these individuals, every single one of them, are paying the cartels thousands of dollars to be trafficked into the United States. That money is then used to continue to pump fentanyl into the United States, killing Americans. Let's stop bankrolling the drug cartels that are profiting from this human trafficking. Next, let me point out that this process is not safe for anyone--not the migrants, either. That is why I don't understand why my colleagues want to continue to encourage people, instead of applying from the next safe country, to take this treacherous journey at the hands of the drug cartels. By the way, my colleague Tony Gonzales, who represents Eagle Pass, just told me that 14 individuals drowned this Thanksgiving weekend alone in Eagle Pass. We have the Doctors Without Borders report that says in Panama alone, in just 1 month, hundreds of women and children were raped. We know that is a common occurrence, so why are we encouraging people to take that treacherous journey instead of applying from the next safe country? Lastly, Floyd Bennett Field, it was mentioned that it was unsafe, as indicated in the lawsuit brought by the councilwoman and others. I am a party to that lawsuit. It floods. There was no NEPA process. All of a sudden, my colleagues on the other side don't want to conduct a full, thorough NEPA environmental impact statement as required by law. Why did they bypass that? If they didn't, they would know that it is a flood zone and unsafe for people to be living there. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman).

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Chair, the bottom line here is that we need to secure the border. We passed H.R. 2, which can stem this unsustainable flow. Unfortunately, a lot of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle voted against H.R. 2. That is the real solution. We need to secure our border. Let's revert to the policies that were working previous to Joe Biden dismantling our border and making it open. It is unsafe and unsustainable for both American citizens as well as the individuals who are taking the treacherous journey at the hands of the drug cartels, which are profiting off of this human trafficking. Our government should not allow it to continue. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Chair, my amendment would prohibit any funding from being used by the National Park Service to enact the terms of the lease to house migrants at Floyd Bennett Field in the Gateway National Recreation Area in Brooklyn, New York, where our Mayor Eric Adams, has setup a tent city for over 2,000 migrants with little supervision. Turning our Federal parks into encampments for un-vetted migrants from all over the world is unsafe, and it is unfair to the surrounding communities and the taxpayers being forced to foot the bill. There have already been dozens of arrests at existing shelters in New York City, stabbings, DUIs, and other horrific incidents. And it is wrong that our mayor continues to misinterpret New York City's right to shelter decree, which was intended for homeless New Yorkers, not citizens of other countries. Today, as a matter a fact, there is a group of big city Democrat mayors here in Washington, including Mayor Adams, scheduled to meet with the White House for what I assume is a request for more money to add more shelters and more encampments through our cities. Mr. Chairman, President Biden and congressional Democrats in Congress have no intention to stop the flow of migrants at our border. And Congress cannot and will not continue to fund this insanity. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment since the Senate refuses to pass our H.R. 2 bill, which would provide border security and stop this unsustainable and unsafe flow. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Chair, I will respond by saying that we are a welcoming nation. We are a welcoming city. My parents are immigrants, as well. However, nobody was required to pay for their housing--my parents did not move into a park that the mayor created to be an encampment--taking that away from the taxpayers. I simply say that we need to have individuals who want to come to this country follow the rules, follow the law, and that is the big difference here. The President has created a crisis. It is of his own making with his open border policies. You mention war-torn countries, but there are over 120 different countries that are being represented, not to mention it is just completely unsustainable. I am not just talking about the 6 million that you mentioned that applied for asylum. I am sure you know that more than half of those asylum cases were denied in court. I think that is an important thing to point out, which means that they are abusing the asylum process to gain entry into our country. My office, in particular, has helped nearly 100 people become U.S. citizens. I am very proud of that. It may be more than anybody else in this Chamber, quite frankly. We did it for the people who followed the rules, did everything right, have been waiting in line and unfortunately, got stuck in our bureaucracy because now they are being shoved to the back of the line because, as you know, those individuals coming over the border are taken up first before anybody else, which is completely unfair to those who have come here legally. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Chair, I would just add that the gentleman made a good point in saying that there has been significant flooding at this particular site. If you care about migrants and care about their safety, there was nearly a foot of water following the recent rainstorms at this site. I don't know how you expect to have these tents set up and people living in that condition. That is number one. Number two, there is also a fire safety issue. Even the legal aid society, by the way, has come out against this particular encampment because they don't feel that it is safe for the inhabitants. The other point that was brought up about the NEPA process is a very important one. I always hear my colleagues on the other side talk about protecting the environment, yet they are turning a blind eye right now to when the environmental review process is not being fulfilled. There wasn't an environmental assessment. There wasn't anything done to evaluate this, which is why they probably didn't know that such flooding would exist. Once again, it is unsafe for everybody involved. It is not the responsibility of the taxpayer. It is going to cost them $15 billion to have these encampments. We shouldn't be doing this. Let's pass H.R. 2 and secure our border. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory of Alan Bernikow, whose generosity impacted thousands of Staten Islanders. Alan was a mentor and a dear friend of mine. He was a compassionate community leader, entrepreneur, and philanthropist looking to make a difference in the lives of those around him. He climbed to the top of the corporate ladder. He was the inaugural chairman of the Heart Institute at Staten Island University Hospital; he served on the board of directors of the Richmond University Medical Center; and he was the former President of the Richmond County Country Club and the Jewish Community Center. He also founded the JCC's annual golf and bocce classic which funds scholarships for local children. He and his wife, Joan, were married for over 50 years and they donated their time, their energy, and their resources to Staten Island's flagship JCC, which bears their name. Today, on Staten Island, there is a celebration of Alan's life, and I send my deepest condolences to his family and friends and our community during this difficult time. Mr. Speaker, I offer this tribute of Alan's life for the official Congressional Record.

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS

Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I hope the American people are listening right now. The Democrats would rather shut down the government than end an unsustainable and unsafe border crisis that has flooded our streets with fentanyl, an unsustainable flow of illegal immigrants destroying New York City, as Mayor Adams says, and only enriching the drug cartels. This bill is common sense, and everyone should support it. It does three things that the American people want. It avoids a shutdown; it cuts excessive, wasteful spending that has led us to a $33 trillion debt; and it secures our border. It stops an unsustainable and unsafe crisis. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to put taxpaying, hardworking American citizens and their safety first. I heard my colleague from New York City say that it was cruel that we want to secure our borders. Do you know what is cruel? In New York City yesterday, at one of the migrant shelters, a 7-year-old girl was sexually abused. Do you know what is cruel? Somebody was stabbed at the Roosevelt shelter in Manhattan. The fact is, there are dozens of crimes being committed, and our mayor and you guys are doing nothing about it.