Burgess seeks stronger U.S. efforts to stem illegal immigration from Central America

U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), chairman of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, introduced a resolution toward determining the causes of illegal immigration to America from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

“As Congress considers solutions for our nation’s immigration crisis, we must consider why families are willing to embark on a dangerous journey to reach our southern border,” said Rep. Burgess, a medical doctor, on Oct. 17.

House Resolution (H.Res.) 1092 would express the sense of House members that the president should redirect American foreign assistance being provided to the three countries to the entities working to address the drivers of illegal immigration from these countries to the United States, according to the congressional record summary.

H.Res. 1092, which Rep. Burgess introduced on Sept. 27, currently has the support of four Republican members who have signed on as original cosponsors.

Of the immigrants apprehended during 2018 at the border, 30 percent have come from El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras, according to the congressman’s office. The amount of funds that would be redirected from their central governments to non-governmental, non-profit and other organizations would equal the amount of unaccompanied children from each country in Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS-ORR) custody multiplied by $15,000, according to Burgess’ office.

For his part, Rep. Burgess since 2014 has made congressional oversight of HHS-ORR operations a top priority and has made close to 10 trips to ORR-funded facilities.

“This summer, I visited El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to learn firsthand about the immigration, humanitarian and energy challenges in this region,” he said this week. “Unfortunately, each of these countries has a cycle of gang violence, poverty and corruption that leads to irregular migration.”

H.Res. 1092, he said, is an extension of his commitment to permanently solving illegal immigration and helping to secure America’s southern border.

“Each month, more than 30,000 people cross America’s southern border without the benefit of citizenship, thousands of whom are children,” Rep. Burgess said. “All Americans can agree that a lack of border security endangers our country.”

Breaking this cycle, the lawmaker said, requires that the United States “end the status quo.”

“Foreign leaders must be held accountable for the wellbeing of their fellow citizens,” Burgess said. “America’s foreign assistance funds are much better spent helping to provide a safe home for children in Central American countries than spent caring for these children in taxpayer-funded shelters once they reach our borders.”

The congressman added that while H.Res. 1092 isn’t a perfect solution. it “is yet another step toward securing American borders.”

The resolution is under consideration by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.