RINO Rep. Tony Gonzales says he will sabotage debt ceiling discussions if the proposed asylum reform bill, H.R.29, were to be passed. It seems Republicans have a unique corner on repeatedly shooting themselves and their ability to legislate in the foot, while Democrats, at least superficially, fight to pass their laws with undying solidarity.
Gonzales opposed H.R.29, characterizing it as "unchristian and anti-immigrant." He says it prevents "legitimate asylum seekers" from securing temporary protection in the United States. The three-page bill, sponsored in January by fellow Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, is also known as the Border Safety and Security Act of 2023.
Gonzales represents the 23rd Congressional District, whose communities stretch about 800 of the 1,950 miles at the U.S.-Mexico border. Gonzales called the bill "dead. It is absolutely dead." In early March, Gonzales hosted a Congressional delegation to Eagle Pass and Uvalde in Texas' 23rd Congressional District, acknowledging in the discussions that his district is "at the epicenter of the border crisis."
Gonzales Censured by Texas GOP
This is not the first time the two-term representative has voted against his party. Additionally, Gonzales was censured by the Republican Party of Texas in early March for going against the grain on H.R.29 and several other proposed measures:
• Gonzales voted with the Democratic Majority in favor of the "Respect for Marriage Act, H.R.1804, co-sponsored by 189 Democrats and no Republicans." The bill favors protections for gay marriage, requiring same-sex marriage to be viewed as valid and legal in all governmental proceedings.
• He voted against the rules package in H.R.5—the House Roll Call #23 on Jan. 9, 2023. He was the only Republican to vote with the Democrats against the package presented by Speaker McCarthy, "thereby endangering the hard-won Republican majority control of Congress."
• Gonzales voted in favor of S.2938, the "Bipartisan Safe Communities Act," which "subsidizes red flag laws, imposes additional restrictions on otherwise legal owners of firearms, and expands background checks."
The Biden Administration Has Perverted Asylum Law
The Biden administration has perverted asylum law using humanitarian parole to justify and expand illegal immigration at the Southern border. Asylum law is purposely specific, requiring refugees to prove a credible and well-founded "fear of persecution and is unable or unwilling to return" to their country of origin. Instead, it has been a free-for-all resulting in the admission of illegal aliens who, in many cases, need do nothing more than say they are being persecuted in their countries of origin. As laid out in Roy's Feb. 22 statement, the Biden administration is currently "violating both the spirit and the letter of the law," releasing unprecedented numbers of illegal aliens into the interior United States.
What Does H.R.29 Do?
H.R.29 would not, as Gonzales wants us to believe, stop all refugees from obtaining asylum. It would reinforce the law that is already on the books. The bill attempts to regain "operational control" over the border by requiring valid documentation for entry and by requiring the Secretary to use his "turn away authority." It will also allow state AGs to enforce the bill through suit for injunctive relief."
HR29 PDF summary/https://roy.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/roy.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/h.r.-29-two-pager-2_compressed.pdf
Roy rightly states that giving more money and resources to the border will not stop the flow of illegal aliens if laws aren't followed and "policies are being used to abuse or system and lose operational control of the border."
In his Feb. 22 letter to his GOP colleagues, Roy lays out his rationale for the bill as a piece of the larger "framework" for securing the Texas border. The framework commits to the following:
• the completion of physical border infrastructure,
• fix border policies,
• require the enforcement of laws related to the release of illegals into the interior, including increasing enforcement of penalties for criminal aliens and visa overstayers and removing those who violate our laws,
• designating cartels as terrorist or terrorist equivalent organizations as well as strengthening penalties for human and drug trafficking.
Framework for Texas Border Commitment/https://roy.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/roy.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/final-texas-border-commitment-12.07.22_compressed.pdf
The Feb. 22 letter states Border Patrol has been overwhelmed at the Southern border due to Biden's immigration policies. He cites several alarming statistics indicating the fallout from poorly enforced borders is anything but "Christian" for immigrants and Americans alike:
Roy Letter Feb. 22 2023/https://roy.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/roy.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/roy-border-policy-dear-colleague-02.22.2023.pdf
Roy's letter also pokes holes in Gonzales' disingenuous contention that H.R.29 prevents the submission and hearing of legitimate asylum claims. In summary, the letter states H.R.29 merely seeks to "prevent DHS from mass releasing migrants without doing anything that 1) isn't already REQUIRED by current law, 2) isn't already BEING USED under current law, or 3) isn't already ALLOWED under current law."
