Special Interest Alien Reporting Act Of 2025
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 530, I call up the bill (H.R. 275) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to publish on a monthly basis the number of special interest aliens encountered attempting to unlawfully enter the…
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 530, I call up the bill (H.R. 275) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to publish on a monthly basis the number of special interest aliens encountered attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 275.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 257, the Special Interest Alien Reporting Act of 2025.
This legislation is a critical step toward enhancing transparency and ensuring the Department of Homeland Security provides accurate and timely reporting to the American people regarding encounters with special interest aliens attempting to illegally enter the United States.
As chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I fully support this effort to strengthen oversight and accountability within DHS and safeguard our national security.
Under the Biden-Harris administration's dangerous open-borders policies, droves of special interest aliens, nearly 2 million, and many of them leveraging illicit smuggling networks and irregular migration patterns, flocked to our borders and exploited catch and release policies to access the interior of our country.
The American people deserve to know not just how many entered our country and when, but where they came from.
Fundamentally, this bill simply requires DHS to publicly report on how many special interest aliens were encountered, their countries of origin, and their last country of residence before trying to enter the United States illegally.
The genius of this bill is that DHS can simply add it to the statistics it already reports on a monthly basis. This
avoids any burdensome or duplicative reporting requirements for the department.
Also, by simply reporting the number and nationality of SIA encounters at our borders, it has no impact on the integrity of ongoing anti-terrorism investigations and efforts of Federal law enforcement.
Moreover, access to accurate information is critical for Congress to effectively conduct proper oversight, promote national security measures, and protect our American communities from the threats that special interest aliens pose.
I simply cannot overstate the importance of passing this legislation, especially given the recent activity in the Middle East.
I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill, and I am grateful to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Greene) for bringing forth this important piece of legislation and for the support of the following cosponsors: Mr. Higgins, Mr. Guest, Mr. Pfluger, Mr. Crane, and Mr. Brecheen.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Greene), who is the author of this piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins).
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I will address some of the comments that I have heard from my colleagues and shine a little bit of light of truth on some of this.
My colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa), mentioned that this would serve as an incentive or intelligence to the bad guys. This reports where they are from and the country they came in from. There are no methodologies discussed on how we are apprehending people. We are not giving away national security information about how our agencies operate.
Reporting that an SIA is coming from a particular country or has a particular nation of origin that they started from is not an incentive to anyone. In fact, it is a disincentive to those individuals. For those governments to know that we have an eye on it is a good thing, not a bad thing.
As far as a playbook, it was mentioned earlier, I think, Mr. Speaker, that we were giving away our playbook. Again, not a single method is reported. Not a single process is reported. None of that information is out there. We are not talking about releasing how we do business. We are talking about whom we have apprehended.
It is ridiculous to suggest that this is somehow a threat to national security. I spent 24 years of my life as an infantry officer, a physician, and a special operations physician with our Nation's highest tier-one level assets. I can tell my colleagues that I now sit on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and have for years. I have served on HASC. No one cares more. I was prepared to give my life. My son currently serves defending this country.
This is not a threat to national security, and I suggest that people take the word of people like me over that of some activist.
This incredible mantra about starving people at detention facilities, well, I have been to these detention facilities. I have seen the stacks of snacks and crackers, the meals, and the healthcare that they get, and this after subjecting themselves willfully to, in many cases, an arduous trek, while wearing the same clothing, I will add. The travesty of that was pointed out earlier. Mr. Speaker, I can't tell you how many days I sat in the same set of BDUs downrange for the country.
Let's look at what is really happening at these ICE detention centers. It is absolutely a liberal, Democratic mantra to just throw that out there as somehow a reason not to support a piece of legislation like this. It is absurd.
Do you know what? The American people are waking up to this, and that is a beautiful thing. I agree with my colleague Mr. Higgins. I hope my Democratic colleagues do call for a vote.
I don't know how many times we can correct the record on this kidnapping of a mother and children with cancer. The mother elected on two occasions when offered the opportunity--she had a court order saying that she had to go. Yes, she had been here a while. The process is long. It takes a while to get the court to do it.
When the court decides, that is due process. Due process has occurred. The court has ordered her removal. They were offered: Do you want your child to have healthcare here, or do you want to take them? We will take them with.
It is false to suggest, in this image that is being painted by the left, that ICE burst down the door, grabbed a child with cancer, and deported them.
Again, the American people are a lot smarter; hence, the results of the last election.
I just wanted to make a few comments, Mr. Speaker, about the stuff I have heard today that just infuriates me and infuriates the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I will close with this. The American people deserve to know where the special interest aliens entering the United States are coming from and where CBP is encountering them.
This legislation proposes transparency that is vital to the public's awareness while maintaining the confidentiality of the individuals encountered and the strategies used by CBP.
My colleague mentioned the term ``real time.'' Wouldn't it have been nice to know in real time about the Iranians who are now in this country?
The administration has, I think, successfully removed well over 100 in just the past 7 days, 1 of whom turned out to be a sniper from the Iranian special guard, the Quds Force. Just open the door and let everybody in.
Wouldn't that have been great to know? That would have been nice to have some real-time information for the American people.
What is interesting is--it is almost laughable--I actually saw a Democratic pundit on television talking about how President Trump shouldn't bomb or shouldn't have bombed Iran because the terror cells that are here might get activated. Well, Democrats let them in.
Those are the same folks who say that Americans shouldn't have guns to defend themselves, but I digress.
This legislation is especially prevalent following the Biden administration's failure to secure the border and protect the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this effort to defend the American people and maintain transparency, and I yield back the balance of my time.