Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement in advance of President Trump’s visit to the border between the United States and Mexico:

“A weak border has consequences for the whole country. National security is jeopardized when we don’t know who is entering and leaving. The rule of law is diminished. Opportunities for legal immigrants who follow the rules are closed.

“Dangerous and addicting substances routinely cross the border. The 2016 National Drug Threat Assessment found that Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations, which control smuggling corridors across the border, are the biggest criminal drug threat to the United States. Lax border security has fueled the opioid epidemic, the ready availability of meth, fentanyl, and the resurgence of cocaine. Parts of the country far from the border are in pain because the Federal Government didn’t do enough to control who or what entered our territory.

“Fortunately, the Trump Administration has shown that it takes enforcement seriously. The proof is in the numbers. Apprehensions at the border from January 1 to July 31 of this year are almost half of what they were in the same period last year, a sign that many are choosing not to risk illegal border crossings.   

“We should build on this success to further guarantee the integrity of our borders. To that end, I supported the inclusion of funding for a border wall in the appropriations bill the House passed last month and urge that it be kept in any bill to fund the government.”

###