Kelly-sponsored resolution demands federal plan be devised to protect northern border

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) on Oct. 11 sponsored a Republican-led resolution that would recognize the influx of known or suspected terrorists through America’s northern border as a threat to national security and demands the Biden administration do something about it.

“At a time of increased global uncertainty, we must take every measure necessary to secure our country,” Rep. Kelly said. “That includes our northern border, which is greatly unsecured and overexposed.”

The congressman introduced House Resolution (H.Res.) 774 alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), his fellow co-chair of the Northern Border Security Caucus. Since introduction of H.Res. 774, additional cosponsors signed on, including U.S. Reps. Carol Miller (R-WV) and John Moolenaar (R-MI).

If enacted, H.Res. 774 would state that since President Biden took office in January 2021, the number of encounters along the nation’s northern border has risen from 997 monthly encounters to 19,835 encounters in August 2023, a 1,889-percent increase, according to the text of the resolution, while the number of encounters along the northern border between ports of entry has risen from 44 monthly encounters to 1,054 encounters in the same time period, a 2,295-percent increase.

The resolution also would point out that America’s northern border — the longest international border in the world measuring 5,525 miles — has only 140 ports of entry with no performance measures to assess security between ports, and has had stagnant U.S. Border Patrol staffing since fiscal year 2009, the text says.

In the resolution, Rep. Kelly and his colleagues demand that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas implement a plan to better secure the northern border. 

“The majority of suspected terrorists caught this year have crossed between the U.S. and Canada, which is the longest continuous border between two countries in the entire world,” said Rep. Kelly. “I’m calling on Secretary Mayorkas to recognize the unique crisis along the northern border and to work with Congress to solve this problem that gravely threatens our entire nation.”