Members of Congress who want to observe the border crisis firsthand are not always able to see its full extent in certain areas, such as Indian reservations and national parks. As a result, Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) is introducing legislation to remove the impediments to observing the border in these areas to "make sure that members of Congress understand what is happening at the border so we can represent our constituents."
Rep. Biggs announced the bill on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "Today, I introduced legislation ensuring that Members of Congress are able to thoroughly survey the crisis at the southern border. We have an oversight duty to monitor and report on what's happening along every stretch of our border."
🚨New Border Security Bill🚨
Today, I introduced legislation ensuring that Members of Congress are able to thoroughly survey the crisis at the southern border.We have an oversight duty to monitor and report on what’s happening along every stretch of our border. pic.twitter.com/fh4MrSRYiG
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) December 4, 2024
In a video accompanying the announcement, Rep. Biggs explained the purpose of his "Border Control Assessment Act."
"What this is about is we have an oversight duty to monitor, as members of Congress, what is happening on every stretch of our border and on the shores. And that means if we have a federal park, national park, [or] national monument, we need to know what is going on there. We need to have access, as members of Congress and our staff, to be able to go there and assess what is going on with border security," the Arizona Congressman explained.
Additionally, Biggs emphasized that Indian reservations were of particular focus in the bill, as "they might have miles of border with Mexico or Canada, [and] we need to be able to get in there and actually see what is going on with our own eyes and experience it so we can report back without hindrance, without people trying to arrest us, without people trying to prevent us from gaining access to information, especially if you happen to be in a corridor where there is a disproportionate amount of trafficking, whether human trafficking, drug trafficking, just cross-border traffic."
"We need to see what is going on. That is our job. That is what we need to do, and that is why I introduced this bill: to make sure we have access that, in some cases, has been denied to us. So we are going to see if we can get this thing through and make sure that members of Congress understand what is happening at our border so we can represent our constituents and make sure America remains strong, free, and has strong sovereignty with their border being secured," Biggs concluded.
