Rep Chip Roy (R-Texas) wrote an op-ed in the Washington Examiner Monday to address the crisis on the border.

Roy acknowledged the ease with which migrants can enter the U.S. by bribing a criminal to help them cross the border and then seeking asylum with the Border Patrol.

Roy acknowledges that ending the crisis is going to require Republicans in Washington, D.C. to "grow a spine, dig in, and fight to keep their promises for once" by securing the border.

Rep. Chip Roy.

Roy prescribes four solutions to protect the border.

Require DHS to carry out border enforcement policies: 

Roy recommends that the DHS must have the authority to turn away illegal migrants.

The term "asylum" needs to be redefined to prevent abuse.  Statistics show that most migrants claiming asylum have no "credible fear" per federal law, yet thousands claim it and are then released into the U.S. "pending adjudication" of their claim.

Roy endorses blocking taxpayers' money from funding nonprofit groups that facilitate illegal migration and auditing the activities of nonprofit organizations funded through the United Nations or otherwise.

Complete all physical border infrastructure: 

In addition to completing the border fence, Roy recommends that there is a need to build easily accessible and navigable roads along the border for agents to effectively patrol.  Roy suggests the removal of Carrizo cane, which grows as high as 25 feet in just a year and inhibits the movement of border patrol agents and allows cartels to make tunnels to move traffic through it.

Require ICE to remove all illegal aliens: 

Roy suggests the closure of loopholes that allow DHS to circumvent current laws requiring them to detain illegal migrants while their applications for asylum are processed. 

Roy calls for an end to DHS's abuse of prosecutorial discretion and parole authority that allows them to release tens of thousands of illegal migrants into the interior. 

Roy calls for the deportation of illegal migrants who have been released or have been "just" here undocumented and visa overstays.

Target cartels and criminal organizations: 

Roy recommends that the cartels be designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations to open up new sanctions that would allow the government to prosecute or deport cartel members, associates, and affiliates.  Roy also calls for stricter criminal penalties for human- and drug-trafficking.

Roy concludes his piece as follows:

If Republicans ever regain power in this town, we must immediately act to secure the border, rather than merely discussing it in press conferences, roundtables, or task forces. Too many innocent people have fallen victim on both sides of our open southern border, and we must prevent these atrocities from continuing.

Since Biden took office, over 2.7 million illegal migrants have crossed the southern border.  Over 100,000 Americans have died from drug poisonings due to the smuggling of illicit drugs across the border.

Beyond crime and drugs, there are other serious issues when the border is left unguarded.

First, resources such as infrastructure, education, medical facilities, recreational facilities, etc. meant for citizens will be overrun by undocumented and unknown outsiders. 

Second, working-class citizens will either be rendered unemployed or suffer depression in wages because illegal migrants may agree to work for meager remuneration.

Third, a country is known by its people, values, and culture; if there is a drastic demographic change, those values begin to erode, and soon a citizen feels like an outsider in his own neighborhood.

Most career politicians spend all of their waking hours attacking their opponents to distract voters from their dereliction of duty.  What makes Roy's piece refreshing is that he holds his own party to high standards and demands accountability.

Roy's solutions to protect the border are simple and ones that anyone with common sense should know.  Every elected leader in Washington surely knows about this, yet they are unwilling to even talk about it.  Only a handful of Republicans have talked about the border; the rest seem to be focused on Ukraine and red flag laws.

Why?

The reason is the inducements and threats presented by the Washington Establishment.  If elected leaders side with the lobbyists and big donors, their campaigns are handsomely funded, and re-election is guaranteed.  If they challenge the groupthink, then these handsome donations are made to their opponents, who can mount a vicious negative campaign that they have no means of countering.  Quite often, party bosses are also involved in these shady deals.

Seasoned politicians may be able to withstand attacks.  But relative newcomers cannot; hence, they succumb to the establishment, and the needs of the voters are placed second.  The cabal grows and grows.

This is why President Trump called Washington, D.C. a swamp.

At times, their votes on Capitol Hill perplex voters.

Lawmakers instantly vote in favor of dispatching $40 billion for the welfare and protection of Ukraine but vote against dedicating a few million to construct a wall to protect the border of their own country.

What helps the swamp is the two-party system.  A conservative voter has no choice but to vote for the compromised Republican who has betrayed him because this Republican is slightly better than a far-left Democrat.

It is therefore a pleasant surprise that an elected representative speaks freely without fear of repercussion.

Is Roy just a man of words?

He was among the few who voted against the 40 billion dollars being sent to Ukraine.  He was also among the few who spoke against the vaccine and mask mandates.  He voted against a bill that would facilitate the creation of a federal vaccination database; 80 of his Republican colleagues voted for this bill.  He has spoken in favor of gun rights and against raising the debt ceiling.  He also spoke against the proxy voting facility.

Promising, indeed.

The GOP needs more such as Roy, but for that to occur, there will have to be an overhaul of the system.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 license.