WASHINGTON – Rep. Scott Franklin (FL-18) and House Republicans today passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act. This measure fulfills our promise to the American people to deliver solutions to a crisis that has turned every community across the country into a border community. It’s a critical step toward securing our border and restoring our nation’s sovereignty and the rule of law.

The Secure the Border Act would secure America’s borders, improve the asylum system, reduce incentives for illegal immigration, criminalize visa overstays, and address Biden’s Border Crisis. House Republicans have offered a responsible plan to address the crisis created by the Biden administration.

“The Biden administration has spent years pushing an activist agenda that has created an unprecedented national security and humanitarian crisis,” Rep. Franklin said. “Their open-border policies endanger our communities, empower drug cartels and undercut our efforts to combat illegal immigration. Instead of working with House Republicans to develop a comprehensive plan to address this extraordinary situation at our southern border, President Biden and congressional Democrats are playing political games with American lives. I’m pleased to support this comprehensive measure that will strengthen our communities, promote long-term security, and improve the public health.”

Highlights of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act:

• Requires 900 miles of border wall construction until operational control of the border is achieved.
• Mandates that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) develop a technology investment plan to ensure CBP officers and Border Patrol agents are equipped with necessary resources.
• Increases CBP’s hiring capacity to 22,000 Border Patrol agents and establishes retention bonuses for agents who serve more than five years in their current roles.
• Addresses the immigration court backlog by streamlining the asylum process, ensuring those with valid claims of asylum are protected and cases are processed in a timely manner.
• Strengthens current law to protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking by treating all children equally under the law (regardless of their home country).
• Authorizes the Secretary of State to negotiate “Remain-in-Mexico” policies with Mexico and asylum cooperative agreements between the U.S., Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
• Funds Operation Stonegarden to make grants eligible to law enforcement agencies to enhance border security.
• Ends the Biden Administration’s abuse of executive immigration parole authority.
• Creates penalties for visa overstayers equal to the criminal penalties for those illegally crossing the border.
• Instructs employers to certify their employees are legally eligible to work through the E-Verify system, reducing the primary incentive for illegal immigrants to enter the U.S.