This month, the House of Representatives passed the “Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023.” It is a reasonable bill that would provide funding for border agents and restart the construction of the border wall. Border security should not be a partisan issue.
Politicians are public servants and their first duty is to serve the interests of the American people. A porous border has led to drug trafficking, human trafficking, and the sex trafficking of minors.
Our Congresswoman, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, voted alongside every other Democrat against this bill, despite campaigning as a “moderate” who would address the opioid crisis and secure the border. Yet, just as Title 42 expired, she voted against basic border security policies. While the southern border is miles away from our congressional district, it still affects our communities. By voting against sealing off our border and fighting the cartels, Marie is allowing dangerous drugs like fentanyl to plague our communities.
According to the Washington state government, deaths from fentanyl in Clark County alone skyrocketed by 200% in just one year.
How does Marie expect to fight the opioid crisis when she votes to leave our border wide open?
While the illicit drugs pouring into our country is bad enough, it pales in comparison to the human trafficking exacerbated by our open border. Human trafficking increased dramatically under President Joe Biden’s weak immigration policies. Many of the trafficking victims are women and children who are forced into prostitution and pornography. The children are smuggled by cartel members and the young girls are brutally raped, often multiple times a day.
This is a difficult subject matter, but it is the harsh reality of the consequences of an open border. Easing border restrictions increases the demand for human and drug trafficking. Marie’s vote against securing our border is a vote for the continued sex trafficking of women and children, and a vote in favor of the fentanyl poisoning in our communities.
We need a representative who will support basic measures to secure our border, and Marie has failed to do so, showing voters that she is just as radical as her Democratic colleagues.
Barry Sullivan,
Vancouver
