HM 669 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hm0669-00
Page 1 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
House Memorial 1
A memorial urging the Federal Government to secure the 2
southern border of the United States and fix the legal 3
immigration system. 4
5
WHEREAS, the Federal Government has failed to effectively 6
enforce existing immigration laws, which has led to a surge in 7
the number of unauthorized border crossings along the southern 8
border of the United States, and 9
WHEREAS, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 10
reported 183,503 alien encounters along the southwest border of 11
the United States in July 2023, which represents a stunning 357 12
percent increase as compared to July 2018, and 13
WHEREAS, CBP reported 231,529 alien encounters along the 14
southwest border of the United Sta tes in October of 2023, and 15
WHEREAS, CBP reported 7,047,387 alien encounters along the 16
southwest border of the United States since January 2020, and 17
WHEREAS, with the surge of unauthorized border crossings, 18
numerous states, including Florida, have been b urdened with a 19
corresponding increase in violent crime, gang activity, the 20
trafficking of dangerous drugs, such as fentanyl, sex 21
trafficking, human trafficking, and the threat of infectious 22
diseases, and 23
WHEREAS, the astronomical increase in the number of aliens 24
flooding in through the southwest border has overwhelmed the 25
HM 669 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hm0669-00
Page 2 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
resources of CBP, greatly increasing the threat of terrorism, 26
given that there are more than 1 million people on the Federal 27
Bureau of Investigation's Terrorist Screening Database, and 28
WHEREAS, at the same time, Secretary of Homeland Security 29
Alejandro Mayorkas has increased the number of aliens seeking 30
asylum who may be admitted into the United States through the 31
ill-conceived expansion of usage of the CBP One mobile 32
application, and 33
WHEREAS, most of the aliens processed through the CBP One 34
mobile application will be released into the interior of the 35
United States, regardless of whether they are granted parole or 36
are claiming asylum, and 37
WHEREAS, with the expiration of the Title 42 poli cy enacted 38
during the COVID-19 public health emergency, which allowed 39
authorities to turn away migrants at the United States border, 40
and the suspension of border wall system construction by the 41
Biden Administration, illegal crossings along the southern 42
border are likely to continue to increase, and 43
WHEREAS, order at the southern border has deteriorated to 44
such an extent that several counties in Texas along the border 45
of the United States and Mexico have declared states of 46
emergency in response to the invas ion of illegal aliens, and 47
WHEREAS, the myriad threats to our nation that result from 48
the collapse of order and security at the southern border not 49
only impose a tremendous fiscal burden on the taxpaying public 50
HM 669 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hm0669-00
Page 3 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
but also have an emotional cost, as American s' sense of security 51
and safety within their own communities is compromised, not only 52
in this state, but in every corner of this nation, and 53
WHEREAS, the policies of the Biden Administration at our 54
southern border threaten the very foundation of the Ameri can way 55
of life, NOW, THEREFORE, 56
57
Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 58
59
That the Federal Government is urged to secure the southern 60
border of the United States and fix the legal immigration 61
system. 62
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State dispatch 63
copies of this memorial to the President of the United States, 64
the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 65
United States House of Representatives, the Secretary of the 66
United States Department of Homeland S ecurity, and each member 67
of the Florida delegation to the United States Congress. 68