Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is warning of a “grave national security risk” if the bipartisan border security bill is blocked this week in the Senate.
Sen. Ossoff is again sounding the alarm on the counterterrorism threat associated with unlawful entry at the southern border, which he warned is “real and it is urgent,” ahead of another Senate vote this week:
“Every day Congress fails to act, the country is at increasing risk. Every day Congress fails to pass a border security measure, the risk increases.
“The Executive Branch’s failures are not an excuse for failures of the legislative branch.
“We have a border security bill co-authored by my Republican colleague Senator Lankford. It is imperative my Republican colleagues allow us to debate and amend this bill and that we pass a border security bill this week, not withstanding the former president’s demands that we do nothing.
“There is a grave national security risk if this legislation is blocked.
“As I have been warning for many months, the counterterrorism threat associated with unlawful entry at the southern border is real and it is urgent.”
Sen. Ossoff has been warning about the counterterrorism threat at the southern border and urging passage of border security legislation for years.
In March, during a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Sen. Ossoff raised concerns with FBI Director Christopher Wray over the threat terrorism associated with unlawful entry through the southern border poses to U.S. national security.
In an interview with The Atlanta-Journal Constitution in December, Sen. Ossoff noted the failure to achieve compromise over the last decade, adding, “The disorder and chaos at the border is a real national security issue.”
And in January, after reports that Donald Trump lobbied Republicans to sabotage bipartisan border security efforts because he wants to campaign on the issue in November, Sen. Ossoff slammed former President Trump.
He has also worked across the aisle to advance and pass bipartisan legislation aimed at preventing fentanyl trafficking; surging more border agents; and deploying new technology to secure the border.
Last month, the Sen. Ossoff-backed bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act became law, which will sanction drug cartels and combat money laundering by the criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking.
In April, Sen. Ossoff helped pass the bipartisan Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade (BEST) Facilitation Act through the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to strengthen border security by providing additional CBP officers to scan cargo for illegal drugs and guns or human smuggling.
In March, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Deploy Fentanyl Scanners Act of 2024 to help deploy scanners at ports of entry to better identify contraband, including fentanyl, being smuggled across the border through personal vehicles.
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