The tragic murder of 20-year-old Bionce Jazmin Anaya Cortez, a South Texas woman who went missing during an Easter visit to her family in Mexico, underscores the escalating danger all Americans face due to President Joe Biden’s open border policies. Anaya Cortez’s body was discovered on a ranch in the border state of Nuevo Leon, a region plagued by an ongoing wave of violence, kidnappings, and murders perpetrated by warring drug cartels.
The brutal violence engulfing Nuevo Leon is a direct consequence of the turf war between the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel, and the Sinaloa Cartel. The cartels are vying for control over lucrative smuggling routes, with the region’s innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. This heartbreaking incident highlights the ever-growing risks to Americans and Mexican citizens as criminal elements exploit the weak border policies implemented under the Biden administration.
House Homeland Republicans mark 100 days of ‘well overdue’ oversight on border crisis, China https://t.co/PVGLE5Ritt
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 17, 2023
The border crisis has only worsened since Joe Biden took office, with over 1.7 million migrant encounters in FY 2021 and a staggering 2.3 million in FY 2022. Despite the Biden administration’s claims of addressing the crisis by opening legal asylum pathways, Republicans argue that these policies fuel the historic surge in migration and bolster the cartels’ power.
Following their takeover of the House in January, Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee have focused on holding the Biden administration accountable for the border crisis and the weakening of America’s homeland security. Under their leadership, the committee has conducted over 340 oversight activities related to Homeland Security issues, including 230 briefings and meetings, 23 oversight and document request letters, over a dozen site visits, and seven hearings.
The committee has also launched 19 investigations into issues such as border wall construction contracts, the Chinese threat to homeland security, and the use of alternatives to detention (ATD) and parole to allow migrants into the U.S. In a bombshell hearing in March, Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told lawmakers that the agency did not have operational control of the border and that several sectors were at crisis levels of migrant traffic. He also defended agents who had been falsely accused of whipping migrants in 2021.
As tensions between China and Taiwan continue to rise and the May 11 expiration of the Title 42 public health order approaches, concerns are growing that the border crisis will only intensify in the coming months. With the increased likelihood of a fresh spike in migrants at the southern border, the need for urgent action to address the ongoing threats to America’s national security and public safety is more pressing than ever.
The devastating loss of Bionce Jazmin Anaya Cortez should serve as a sobering reminder of the human cost of ineffective border policies. Our leaders must prioritize the safety and well-being of all citizens by confronting the ever-worsening crisis at our nation’s doorstep.
