Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) urged her Congressional colleagues to separate the topics of immigration and border security Friday. She said it was the only way to move legislation on the topics forward.
Spanberger, who represents a swing district in Virginia, described immigration and border security as “two separate issues that go hand in hand” during a segment of What America’s Thinking. The illegal flow of fentanyl across the United States border is considered an important part of border security.
“We can decouple the discussions of people and humanity and workers and families from the very real truth that indeed there are transnational criminal organizations that are trafficking fentanyl and making billions of dollars a year trafficking vulnerable people,” Spanberger said.
Spanberger added that a system that helped asylum-seekers apply for protections and gave U.S. officials better control over who enters the country would be a “system that works.”
Views like Spangerger’s are at the heart of the immigration debate in the new House of Representatives.
The House Judiciary Committee, which oversees immigration, debated the issues on Wednesday. The majority of Republicans attempted to combine the topics, but Democrats pushed to tackle one issue at a time — including the fentanyl crisis.
One Republican, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), claimed that fentanyl and immigration are “closely related, but they are two separate issues,” according to the Hill.
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Spanberger also worked with a Republican counterpart to pass the Securing America’s Borders Against Fentanyl Act. It was signed by President Joe Biden in December as part of the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill enhances scanning technology at ports along the U.S. border.
“I was proud that President Biden signed my legislation Securing America’s Borders Against Fentanyl Act, which is a step in the right direction, but still more needs to be done,” Spanberger said. “We need to continue investing in additional technologies — we need to recognize that the X-ray machines of 30 years ago are just not cutting it anymore.”
