Michael McCaul

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Pablo ``P.J.'' Vargas, Jr. Pablo was a constituent, a friend and the loving and dedicated father of the office manager for my College Station congressional office. A lifelong Texan, Pablo attended Palo Alto College and moved to Bryan/College Station in 1990 to attend Texas A&M University to study civil engineering, where he graduated in 1992 and met his wife, Dee Dee Vargas, a Bryan native, whom he married in 1996. P.J. was the proud parent of three children--Desiree Denise Carlin, Destinee Denise Vargas, and Pablo Vargas, III. Just as his daughter Destinee is a dedicated civil servant, so was Pablo, who served the Texas Department of Transportation for 28 years. Pablo loved to talk to everyone in the community and was always willing to help others. His generosity and his heart was as big as the state of Texas. I extend my deepest sympathies to the Vargas family and the community he was so committed to serving.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the esteemed majority leader of the House.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in my 20 years in Congress, including when I was chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and as a former Federal prosecutor tasked with securing our border in Texas, I have never seen our border this chaotic, this broken. What we are witnessing today is unprecedented. Right now, as I speak, there is a tidal wave of migrants marching across our southern border. Just yesterday, CBP apprehended over 10,000 migrants--10,000 in a single day. This is the largest human trafficking crisis I have ever witnessed in my lifetime, and it is time for Congress to act and restore control to this uncontrolled border. While the administration and DHS Secretary Mayorkas have assured us ``the border is closed'' and that they have operational control of the border, just last month, Border Patrol Chief Ortiz testified that DHS does not have operational control of the border because the drug cartels have operational control of the border. I know that. I have been down there. I have seen this movie before, but this is the worst movie I have seen. It didn't have to happen. It was a self-inflicted wound. That is because, on day one, the Biden administration rescinded the Migrant Protection Protocols, otherwise known as remain in Mexico. In my many meetings with Border Patrol agents down on the border, they tell me very bluntly that the rescission of these policies by President Biden on his very first day in office has had a direct cause and effect on the chaos at the border. This policy was working under the last administration. Illegal immigration was dramatically declining. However, since President Biden took office in January 2021, we are witnessing a massive increase in illegal immigrant encounters and apprehensions at our southern border-- 5 million of them. The numbers don't lie. Since President Biden took office, I repeat, there have been over 5 million migrant encounters, with at least 1.4 million known get-aways. What is going to happen to these people? They have no legal status. They live in the shadows. The young girls are sex trafficked, and the young boys and men, their home will be MS-13. Worse, more than 100,000 Americans have died from fentanyl flowing across the border, going from China to Mexico and across my State of Texas. That is nearly double the number of deaths in the entire Vietnam war over two decades. Mr. Speaker, 853 migrants and counting have died trying to make the dangerous journey across the border just last year alone. This is the most recorded in history. Thirty-five percent of women and children are raped and sexually abused throughout their journey at the hands of the brutal cartels. What happens when they get here? We know that Mayorkas lifted the restriction so that sponsors of these children do not have to be vetted. What are we seeing? We are seeing 10, 20, 30 children being sent to the same house, to their sponsors who have not been vetted. This turns into a major trafficking problem right here inside the United States. When the cartels say, ``You still need to pay us more money. You need to run more drugs. You need to prostitute yourself,'' we are creating a criminal network right now inside the United States of America. It is only going to get worse, particularly when title 42 is lifted today, the very day we are going to pass this bill. From my point of view, as a former chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, 98 suspected terrorists attempted to enter the homeland last year. When I chaired the Homeland Security Committee, I always asked the question: How many special interest aliens, how many on the terror watch list, have tried to get in? How many have gotten in? That is just who we know about. Think about the threat, the national security threat to the homeland, particularly after the collapse of Afghanistan and the rise of terrorism overseas. I would argue that President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas are complicit in this crisis. The Federal Government's job is to secure borders--air, land, and sea. Unfortunately, this administration has failed to do so. They have abdicated their solemn duty to protect the homeland, to protect the American people, to protect these children. One rescission, one stroke of the pen rescinding the remain in Mexico policy, created this chaos at the border. Don't take my word for it. Take the Chief of Border Patrol's word for it. Take the countless Border Patrol officers and agents I have talked to down on the border. That is why I introduced this legislation, to compel the administration to solve this crisis once and for all. Congress is doing what the Biden administration has failed to do for the last 2\1/2\ years to fix our broken borders. Our first priority must be to stem the massive flow of illegal aliens by reinstating and codifying the Migrant Protection Protocols known as remain in Mexico because it worked. In my State, we have a saying: If it is not broken, don't fix it. It wasn't broken. It was working. They rescinded it, and now we have this crisis. This legislation will also direct the State Department to renegotiate asylum cooperation agreements. These agreements prohibit migrants who travel throughout any countries with asylum agreements from eligibility for asylum in the United States. Asylum is the magnet. It is the pull factor that is being abused by the cartels to make money off these children, women, and migrants. This policy was very effective, and it worked under the prior administration. Reinstating it is a proven solution to reduce the chaos, the crisis. By directing the Secretary of State to reauthorize and codify MPP and the ACAs, this bill bolsters the work being done on asylum reform and border security in both the House Judiciary Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee. Finally, I would say this should not be a partisan issue. When I chaired the Homeland Security Committee, Ranking Member Thompson and I worked on many border security bills that were bipartisan. Many passed unanimously out of our committee. Yet, here we are on this partisan fight. I think the American people deserve better than partisanship. They deserve solutions. In my State, we witness this every day. Ranchers see dead bodies on their property and the drugs flowing in. Secretary Mayorkas asked for a bill. Here it is. It is time that we reinstate the policies that have a proven track record of success. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I will state for the record that we put in this bill a provision specifically for those paroled in the United States from Afghanistan so that this would not affect their legal status and that they can stay here in the United States. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost), the chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), the vice chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the chair of the Committee on Financial Services' Subcommittee on Capital Markets.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy).

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from California.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson), a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Self), a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me just say a few things. My friends on the other side of the aisle talk about this bill being inhumane. Really? Is it humane under this administration to stuff 40 migrants in an 18- wheeler to die from heat and suffocation in my home State of Texas? Is it humane for the cartels to rape and traffic little girls? Is it humane to kill 100,000 young people in this country from the poison of fentanyl? Is it humane, Mr. Speaker, to send children to stash houses in the United States to become sex slaves and child labor slaves that even Child Protective Services would find criminal? That is what this administration has done. Susan Rice, our domestic policy adviser, is quoted in The New York Times as saying that she ``vented in a note she scribbled on a memo detailing the position of advocates, who believed a pandemic-era border closure was compelling parents to send unaccompanied children, sometimes called UCs.'' In other words, what was happening because of the change of policy by the Biden administration was that parents were compelled to send their children by themselves in the hands of the cartels, the traffickers, and the human smugglers. What did Ms. Susan Rice, Mr. Biden's domestic policy adviser, say? ``This is BS,'' she wrote, according to a copy of the memo reviewed by the Times. She says: ``What is leading to `voluntary' separation of children is our generosity to these [unaccompanied minors].'' Wow. This administration, they know exactly what they are doing. They know what this policy has done. They know the results and the consequences of rescinding the MPP program, which is called inhumane. By the way, all it says is, you cannot enter the United States; you have to remain in Mexico pending your asylum claim. You know why? Once you enter the United States, it is catch and release all over again. The very first bill I introduced 20 years ago in Congress was to end catch and release, and here we are so many years later, and we are right back to it. The sad thing is, we had this thing under control with the construction of physical barriers and technology. Personally, I think it is very, very sad. Recent news reports show that in a single week there were almost 55,000 apprehensions by Border Patrol and more than 18,600 got-aways. Those are some of the highest totals on record. Make no mistake, the termination of title 42 is well known among migrants. It is well known to the drug traffickers and the cartels, who make money off this racket. They are waiting for this policy to end to cross the border en masse. We see caravans right now, south, coming up toward my home State. It is clear the administration is not prepared and that this crisis will only get worse and devolve into chaos. As a result, the number of crossings, already at historic levels, will explode. Mr. Speaker, this is unsustainable. We are facing a humanitarian crisis of generational proportions. It only benefits the cartels. I know this game too well. I was a Federal prosecutor on the other side prosecuting them. They know exactly what they are doing. They exploit, they terrorize, and they make a ton of money off exploiting human beings. It has cost countless lives. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse).

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse).

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to close.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of a most dear and loved Carol Louise Koenig, who passed away on April 9, 2023. While our hearts are heavy in her absence, knowing she is reunited with her parents and all her siblings brings great peace. Carol was a pillar in my life and in the lives of so many others. She was one of my first supporters--both professionally and personally. I came to think of her as another mother because her guidance and wisdom helped lay the groundwork for where I am today. The youngest of four children, Carol was born on July 12, 1936, in Houston, Texas. After graduating from Jeff Davis High School, Carol attended the University of Houston, where she met and married the love of her life, my dear friend, H.W. ``Buddy'' Koenig. Together, Carol and Buddy lived a fulfilling life and welcomed four boys into the world, whom they cherish dearly. Carol was a lady of great faith, strength, and wisdom. Her genuine love was felt by all those who were blessed to be around her, including myself. It was always a priority of mine to visit her when I traveled back home to Austin. From the beginning of my career to now, she has continued to be a source of inspiration. I am grateful for Carol's influence in my life, and pray her love continues to be felt as we honor her memory.

Mr. McCAUL

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H. Res. 90) demanding that the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party of China immediately release Mark Swidan, as amended.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Mark Swidan is an American, a Texan, and has been a hostage of the Chinese Communist Party for more than a decade. We stand together to demand his release and an end to his torture by CCP officials. In 2012, Mark was wrongfully detained in China for a crime he clearly did not commit. The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has found that it was impossible for him to have committed any of the crimes he is charged with. In fact, Mr. Speaker, he was not even in China at the time the CCP says that these false crimes were committed. Since his abduction in 2012, Mark has been grossly abused in Chinese custody. He has been held for more than a decade in temporary detention facilities intended for brief custody. He remains caged in a small, crowded cell that is freezing in the winter and sweltering in the summer. The toilet is a hole in the ground; the lights are never turned off; and he has no regular access to sunlight, a bed, or hot water. Chinese officials have denied him proper medical care. Guards have broken his hands several times, and he has suffered a dislocated knee. Mark has lost almost 100 pounds. He suffers from tooth and gum disease, and his mouth bleeds every day. Mark has only been allowed to speak with his family a handful of times. His ordeal has taken a terrible toll on his physical and mental health. Just last week, the People's Republic of China denied Mark's appeal and upheld the death penalty with a 2-year suspended death sentence. Threatening an American citizen with death for a crime that he could not have possibly committed is a brazen human rights violation and a disgusting example of CCP's hostage diplomacy. Protecting Americans abroad is a priority mission of the State Department, yet State has failed to secure Mark's release or hold the CCP accountable for its gross violation of his basic human rights. Instead, the Biden administration continues to prioritize engagement with the PRC over all else, even the safety of American citizens. This bipartisan resolution before us today unanimously passed the Foreign Affairs Committee in February. It condemns the CCP for their violation of international law and demands the immediate release of Mr. Swidan. Furthermore, it urges the Biden administration to hold the CCP accountable for its blatant violation of human rights and international law. I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud), my good friend, for introducing this resolution which deserves our unanimous support. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud), the author of this bill.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, if we are seen as a weak nation, we will be treated as such. Appeasement only invites aggression. The U.S. must not tolerate these brazen acts of hostage diplomacy. I wish that Mark Swidan could somehow hear us in this Chamber today to know that he is not forgotten. However, I know that his tireless advocate, his mother, Katherine, is listening; and I know that his CCP captors and abusers are listening, too. Our unified bipartisan message to them is simple: Free Mark Swidan now. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.