Burns to President Biden: Secure the U.S.-Mexican border pronto
Urges ‘swift and effective federal action’ to protect PA taxpayers
Rep. Frank Burns February 2, 2024 | 2:22 PM
EBENSBURG, Feb. 2 – Believing it’s the overwhelming sentiment of his district –and not wanting to see Pennsylvania the next state saddled with billions in migrant care costs – state Rep. Frank Burns has written President Joe Biden urging swift and effective federal action to secure the U.S.-Mexican border.
“I realize we have been and are a generous and welcoming nation, Mr. President, but I do not want to see Pennsylvania, a state we both know and love, become the next New York, whose governor is seeking $2.4 billion to deal with costs associated with an unprecedented and unplanned influx of illegal migrants,” Burns wrote.
“It’s simply unfair to ask citizens of my state, or any other, to shoulder this type of fiscal burden. And it’s even worse to see valuable tax dollars diverted from other important programs to cover costs associated with their housing, medical needs, and other care.”
Burns, D-Cambria, noted that Pennsylvania in 2021 had an estimated 220,000 unauthorized immigrants, and 2022 set a record with 2.2 million illegal U.S. border crossings.
To buttress his call for action, Burns also asked the president to consider that:
- From January 2021 through December 2023, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection had 8.9 million encounters with illegal immigrants – an influx of more than the population of 39 states.
- More than 302,000 undocumented immigrants managed to enter the United States illegally in December 2023, “which is mind-boggling not only to me, but to most of my constituents” of both political parties.
- 2023 saw the most U.S. drug overdose deaths in 12 years, a trend that corresponds with the increase in illegal border crossings.
“As elected officials, I believe our first and foremost duty is to look out for the well-being and safety of our constituents, meaning the legal citizenry of the United States, and the communities in which they live,” Burns wrote. “People are fed up that this situation has been allowed to spiral out of control, Mr. President, and the eyes of the nation, Pennsylvania, and Cambria County are watching to see how you respond to their concern.”
Burns urged the president to “take meaningful action pronto,” and offered his assistance in the important effort to bring illegal immigration under control.