Smith: Making the border secure again

Just like millions of Americans, I’m incredibly relieved that soon we will once again have a leader in the White House who will fight to make our border secure. President-elect Donald Trump will waste no time enacting the policies we need to bring an end to the worst border crisis in American history. He is working around the clock to ensure his administration is ready on day one to begin the process of making our border secure and our communities safe again.

Trump’s plan to launch a mass deportation operation is exactly what we need to make our communities safer. Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants with criminal records on the loose in the United States, including 13,099 convicted of homicide, 56,533 with drug convictions, and 15,811 who have sexual assault convictions. In November, I demanded answers from the Biden administration regarding reports that local law enforcement in Missouri have been instructed to release illegal immigrant gang members from Venezuela back into the community. Missouri families are sick and tired of fearing for their safety because of Biden’s dangerous immigration agenda. Thankfully, Trump’s historic operation will prioritize deporting immigrants with a criminal past.

President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation operation will also target illegal immigrants with ties to terror groups. Under Biden, over 390 individuals whose names appear on the terror watchlist were caught crossing the southern border. And in August, the House Judiciary Committee released a report showing that between FY2021 and FY2023, at least 99 illegal immigrants on the terror watchlist were released into the U.S. after being arrested at the southern border. Getting these dangerous individuals out of the U.S. is vital to making our nation safe — and Trump has assembled an excellent team to help him make that happen.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump’s nominee for Department of Homeland Security secretary, is exactly the type of fighter he needs to carry out his tough border agenda. She’s a rancher, an accomplished leader, and a staunch supporter of Trump’s border policies. She was the first governor to send National Guard troops to help Texas fight the border crisis — something she did a total of eight times. Kristi Noem is one of my closest friends, and I can’t think of a better pick to lead the agency in charge of keeping our nation — and border — safe.

Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for border czar, will do an excellent job implementing the administration’s tough immigration agenda. He was a border patrol agent for nearly four decades and served as the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the first Trump administration. Homan, just like Gov. Noem, is a strong advocate for effective immigration policies like “Remain in Mexico” and ending catch and release. Unlike current border czar Kamala Harris, he’ll work around the clock to put out the fire raging at our southern border.

The contrast between Biden and President-elect Donald Trump’s border agenda couldn’t be clearer. Trump will use every tool he has to undo the damage caused by Biden and Washington Democrats’ radical, open-border policies. In Congress, I will fight tooth and nail to advance legislation to help him achieve his goal of making our border safe and secure — just like it was during his first term as president. January 20 — the day Trump takes office — cannot come soon enough.

Jason Smith (R-MO) represents the eighth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.