CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN DEMANDS ORDER AT SOUTHERN BORDER, CALLS ON SPEAKER JOHNSON TO BRING BIPARTISAN BORDER ACT OF 2024 TO VOTE IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressman Pat Ryan Demands Order at Southern Border, Calls on Speaker Johnson to Bring Bipartisan Border Act of 2024 to Vote in House of Representatives

For months, Johnson has blocked the readily available, bipartisan-negotiated border security bill from a vote in the House

Senate is expected to vote on bill, the most comprehensive border security and immigration reform in decades, tomorrow evening

WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Congressman Pat Ryan continued his push to restore order at the southern border, demanding that Speaker Mike Johnson bring the Senate’s bipartisan border security bill to a vote in the House of Representatives. Ryan’s repeated call comes as the Senate is expected to take up the legislation, the most comprehensive border security and immigration reform in decades, tomorrow evening.  Despite being negotiated by a bipartisan group of Senators along with the Biden Administration, Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik thus far have refused to even allow the House to vote on the bill, a move Ryan has called “the most cynical and disappointing display of partisanship” he’s seen in Congress.

“I’m fighting to restore order at the border, and that requires Democrats and Republicans alike to put aside the politics, and come together as Patriots to deliver. We have in front of us a bill to secure the border and stop the flow of dangerous fentanyl flooding into our community. I fully support it – and I’m demanding Speaker Johnson bring it to the House floor for a full vote,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “Hudson Valley families are sick of the extremism and the infighting from both parties – they’re rightfully demanding results. This bill would fix our broken asylum system, hire additional border patrol agents, and crack down on fentanyl traffickers. We should pass it immediately.”

Combined with funding from the FY 2024 Appropriations bills, this legislation would hire over 1,500 new U.S. Customer and Border Protection personnel, over 4,300 new Asylum Officers and additional U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Staff, in addition to 100 new immigration judge teams, and 1,200 new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel. Additionally, the legislation includes provisions that expedite work permits so that immigrants can immediately get to work upon arrival, and the creation of expedited processing and removal of those who don’t qualify for asylum. Also of particular note, the legislation would help halt the flow of fentanyl to the southern border at a time when it is devastating our local communities

Congressman Ryan is a member of the Democrats for Border Security Task Force. Two weeks ago, due to Congress’ continued inaction on readily available, bipartisan border solutions, Congressman Ryan called on the Biden Administration to take executive action to begin to mitigate the crisis at the Southern border. The Biden Administration responded days later by announcing changes to speed up the processing of new migrants at the border and expedite deportations. 

Congressman Ryan has repeatedly called on House leadership to bring comprehensive, substantial immigration reform and border security funding to a vote. In February in both a speech on the House floor and in a letter, Congressman Ryan called on Speaker Johnson and GOP Conference Chair Stefanik to bring the Senate-proposed national security supplemental to a vote in the House. The supplemental included the most comprehensive border security and immigration reform in decades and had been negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators and the Biden Administration. 

In August of 2023, Congressman Ryan joined colleagues in a letter calling on then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to bring the Biden Administration's proposed over $4 billion border security funding supplemental to a vote in the House.

In April, Ryan cosponsored H.Res 1132 “Condemning Republican inaction to address comprehensive immigration reform and border security” after the repeated failed responses by House leadership to bring readily available, bipartisan border and immigration legislation to a vote in the House.

While House Republicans have blocked votes on full border security funding and comprehensive immigration reform, Congressman Ryan has built a record of calling for and working towards solutions, including calling for streamlining the process of granting asylees work authorization and calling extensively for and helping secure Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans, the largest population of migrants coming to New York City, so they could immediately gain work authorization. Ryan also introduced the Courage to Serve Act to create a pilot program that would allow a qualified set of migrants to receive an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for military service. Ryan also cosponsors the Dignity Act which would improve the work authorization process, increase pathways to citizenship, and bolster the processing of asylum requests. 

Congressman Ryan has been adamant that border security legislation must include funding to combat the trafficking of illicit fentanyl across the border, including demanding that $800 million be included in H.R. 2, the border bill passed by House Republicans that failed to include any mention of illicit fentanyl. Ryan also cosponsors the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act, the END FENTANYL Act, and the Disarming Cartels Act. Ryan also cosponsors legislation to improve U.S. Customs and Border Patrol hiring and employee retention.

When governors from southern border states began transporting migrants to New York State in the summer of 2023, overwhelming the state’s available resources, Congressman Ryan immediately joined with Congressman Mike Lawler on a bipartisan letter calling for President Biden to approve New York’s request for a major disaster declaration to usher in additional federal resources.

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