Border Security and Immigration

Through my 24 years of work in the technology industry, I visited 47 countries and found a similarity between these vastly diverse places-- countries protect their borders. Protecting the sovereignty of our nation is one of the few constitutionally-granted responsibilities of Congress, and the security of our border had been neglected for far too long.

In early 2020, I visited the southern border and learned first-hand of the shocking need to secure our southern border. For insight into this trip and some of the practices I learned of, watch video clips here and here. Not long after this trip, I had the opportunity to testify in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security on the findings of my trip and the importance of allocating financial resources to secure our southern border (watch the video below).

The Trump Administration made huge strides in securing our border and making positive, common-sense reforms to our immigration system. Among these, I particularly support the 400 new miles of border wall constructed, closing loopholes in the asylum process, giving state and local governments more input on refugee resettlement, and initiatives to end federal funding to sanctuary cities. While President Trump accomplished much more than past Administrations in the field of immigration reform and border security, there is still much work to continue. 

As a Christian, I believe it is important to acknowledge the human side of this issue. There are stories of immigrants being treated terribly by employers and those who leave everything behind because of legitimate persecution in their home state, just to suffer from coyotes and cartels who exploit and have marketized the promise of passage to the United States. I have empathy for anybody who wants to work hard to provide for their family. There’s nothing more honorable. But as a citizen and a nation of laws, we cannot reward illegal behavior.

Below is a list of natural initiatives, bills, and letters on border security and immigration that I have supported in Congress. Click on the links or contact my office for additional information.

• DHS Acquisition Reform Act (H.R. 3413): To specify which offices in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headquarters have responsibility for acquisition programs.

• DHS Acquisition Review Board Act  (H.R. 2609): Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish an Acquisition Review Board to strengthen accountability and uniformity within the DHS acquisition review process. This board would inspect major spending programs and ensure best practices.

There have also been initiatives that I simply cannot support. Here are some of my no votes and my reason for doing so.

• (H.R. 6172): VOTED NO: Bill would not include enough boundaries or limits on the types of business records that could be collected, and the specific search warrant and meeting a search warrant were not clear per the 4th amendment.