Vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their votes . If not, the ayes are 57, the nays are 39, and the motion is agreed to. Mr. Cornyn madam president . The presiding officer the republican whip. Mr. Cornyn madam president , if we could have order in the senate, please. The presiding officer the senate will be in order. Mr. Cornyn thank you, madam president. I want to spend a few moments this morning talking about Realistic Solutions to the ongoing crisis along americas southern border. Obviously i come from a border state where we have 1,200 miles of common border with the nation of mexico, which of course has been the gateway now to this humanitarian wave of children, unaccompanied children coming from Central America into the United States. Ill talk more about that in detail, but i first want to comment on something that the majority leader said this morning in his opening remarks. With his what has now become trademark high pesh olie high pesh olie and disregard for facts the majority leader suggested that the republican platform was deport first, find solutions later, or never. I find that offensive and its certainly not true, and i can just assume that the majority leader has had other things that have taken his attention and hes ignored completely the concrete solutions that i and others have been promoting, some of which ill talk about here in a moment. But the last thing id say specifically to this really offensive and untrue comment of the majority leader this morning is if youre truly concerned about this issue, senator reid, you might want to focus on members of your own party. After all, no less than Vice President joe biden has said of the unaccompanied minors flooding across from the u. S. Mexican border, he said qoas its necessary to put them back in the hands of the parent in the country from which they came close quote. He went on to say once an individuals case is fully heard, if he or she does not qualify for asylum, he or she will be removed from the United States and returned home. Thats Vice President biden. Perhaps the majority leader should talk to him. Or he could talk to former our former senate colleague, hillary clinton. She said they should be sent back as soon as it can be determined who responsible adults in their families are, close quote. Thats former secretary of state hillary clinton, in all likelihood the democratic partys nominee for the president of the United States in 2016. Perhaps the majority leader should talk to her. Or he could talk to the secretary of Homeland Security under whose per view this issue purview this issue falls most directly who said quote under current u. S. Laws and policies, anyone who is apprehended crossing our border illegally is a prior to for deportation, regardless of age close quote. Perhaps the majority leader should pick up the phone and talk to him. So rather than make offensive politically motivated allegations, perhaps the majority leader should get his facts straight, talk to leaders in his own Political Party and then work with us on this side of the aisle to try to find some Realistic Solutions. As the insurgency rages in iraq and the border between syria and iraq has collapse end and attention here in washington is turned to other parts of the globe, i can tell you without a doubt that today attention of my constituents in texas is still very much focused on whats happening on our southwestern border. And this surge of unaccompanied more than children that are making a dangerous and treacherous journey from Central America through mexico and ending up on our doorstep. First of all, though, the administration when this began the facts began to unfold said that this human that human smuggling operations are responsible for creating a Misinformation Campaign and thats why were seeing this surge of unaccompanied minors. There may actually be an element of truth to that if you think about it. Because if the human smuggling operations, the drug cartels, organizations like the zetas and the associated gangs that work with them make money on each and every migrant that passes through these corridors of Human Trafficking and human smuggling, then they probably are making money, more money the more people that come. They probably make more money the more children and women and other migrants who they kidnap and hold for ransom. So there is some element of that. But then weve been told by the administration that the surge is entirely the result of Gang Violence and poverty in Central America. And that it has nothing to do with president obamas policies or his perceived commitment to our Immigration Laws, including the enforcement, that only the executive branch can do. A few days ago, however, secretary johnson, the secretary of Homeland Security, published what he called an open letter to the parents of children crossing our southwestern border. In which he implicitly acknowledged that the president S Immigration policies or the perception that he was less than committed to enforcing those policies have indeed become a magnet for illegal border crossings. Referring to the socalled Deferred Action Program that president obama announced in june of 2012, you remember the president said i have a pen and i have a phone. Basically said im going to go it alone, im not going to work with congress anymore. That was a product of that mentality and that approach by the president. But referring to that socalled Deferred Action Program that president obama announced in june of 2012, secretary johnson felt compelled in this open letter to inform his readers that the u. S. Governments deferred action for childhood arrivals often called daca, daca, does not apply to a child who crosses u. S. Border illegally today, tomorrow, or yesterday. Doesnt apply. Secretary johnson reiterated this point in the very next paragraph when he said quote there is no path to deferred action or citizenship or one being contemplated by congress for a child who crosses our border illegally today. Now, if the sole driver of the border crisis was, in fact, Central American violence and poverty, or smuggling organizations, theres no reason to believe that secretary johnson needed to clarify the details of u. S. Immigration policy. After all, if the migrant surge has nothing to do with u. S. Policy, as the white house initially insisted, then clarifying what that policy is wont affect it at all. But its become simply undeniable that president obamas policies, including his unilateral Deferred Action Program, as well as the perception that he is less than seriously committed to enforcing current law, and, in fact, has ordered secretary johnson to investigate and recommend a further relaxation of his enforcement policies, all of this has played a huge role in creating the perception to tens of thousands of unaccompanied children that you should risk your life and travel unaccompanied in the hands of the cartels to the United States because there wont be any consequences associated with it. Its that perception that the president continues to create by his silence, that is, the magnet for this ilLegal Immigration. Dont take my word for it. According to an internal department of Homeland Security memo, it says quote the main reason the subjects chose this particular time to migrate to the United States was to take advantage of the new u. S. Law that grants a free pass or permit. In other words, they came because itself widespread perception that unaccompanied minors and women traveling with children would be allowed to stay, even after crossing the border illegally. Well, i think theres more to this story. In fact, what weve learned is that women traveling with children are frequently given a notice to appear once they are processed by the Border Patrol. A notice to appear for a hearing and a court that would then determine any claims of asylum or then determine whether they could stay in the United States or they would have to return to their country of origin. This is called a notice to appear. Strangely enough, the vast majority of immigrants that get a notice to appear never show up. It makes you wonder about the ones who do show up because theres absolutely no followthrough. This is what is perceived as being this permission or free pass or permiso in spanish. Meanwhile, a study of the department of Homeland Security office of science and technology directate directorate concluded that unaccompanied minors are quote aware of the relative lack of consequences they will receive when apprehended at the u. S. Border vrntle r border. Relative lack of consequences. In other words, nothing happens to them. If you make it here, youll be able to stay. Thats the perception. Again, its puzzling to me that even though the administrations own documents show a clear reason for the surge, they initially continue to offer the public a shifting narrative. Now, there is no doubt that drug and gangrelated violence in Central America is bad. Its a matter of tremendous concern for u. S. Policymakers, its heart breaking, and its something that i propose we try to address. I had a great conversation, for example, on the floor a couple days ago with the senior senator from california, senator feinstein, who said maybe theres something we can do as weve done in the past, countries like colombia, countries like mexico and elsewhere where we have worked with our partners there to try to help them restore security in the rule of law, and thats certainly something i look forward a conversation i look forward to continuing. But the fact of the matter is the violence in Central America didnt just begin a couple of years ago. As a matter of fact, the murder rates in guatemala and el salvador were higher in 2009 than they were in 2012 and 2013. But the massive spike in ilLegal Immigration by unaccompanied minors didnt start until 2012. The very same year, not coincidentally when the president announced his unilateral Deferred Action Program. Again, creating the perception that if you came here, you would be able to stay, and thus there is no wonder that people felt like the floodgates had opened, creating the humanitarian crisis and overwhelming the capacity of local, state and federal authorities to deal with all of these children. By fiscal year 2013, the number of unaccompanied minors detained on our southern border had grown to nearly 25,000, up from 6,500 two years earlier. From 6,500 to 25,000 in two years time. According to the new york times, from october to june 15, 52,000 unaccompanied minors were quality at the caught at the american border with mexico, twice the number for the same period in the previous year, and there are estimates that it could turn out to be 60,000 or more this year, could double next year. And you begin to wonder where does this end, how does this end . So between the president s refusal to enforce our Immigration Laws and his evershifting explanation as to the source of the ongoing crisis, its no wonder that the president has lost so much credibility on this issue. Indeed, if the president wants to know why he hasnt been able to pasS Immigration reform in the house and the senate, all he has to do is look at the fact that people have lost confidence in his willingness to enforce the law. I know the senior senator from new york has suggested well, we should pass an Immigration Law and just postpone its Effective Date after president obama leaves office. Thats a shocking statement, it seems to me, that has been reiterated by the majority leader, senator reid. So there is an enormous amount of distrust about the federal governments commitment to enforce the law. So i dont care what the law might ultimately be. If the American People dont believe the president and the attorney general and the executive branch will enforce the law, weve lost their confidence entirely and we will never be able to improve and fix our broken immigration system, something i am commited to do. But given all the different narratives coming out of the white house concerning the surge of unaccompanied minors, i think it would be a good thing for the president to directly address the issue. Hes sent Vice President biden to Central America. That was a positive step. I know secretary johnson has visited the Rio Grande Valley and some of these Detention Centers for unaccompanied minors. Thats a positive step. Hes written this open letter to the parents of children in Central America, discouraging them from sending their children on this long, perilous journey from Central America to the United States through these drug smuggling and human smuggling corridors controlled by the zetas and other cartels, but yesterday i introduced a resolution with my friend, the junior senator from florida, senator rubio, that calls on the president to do five things. Number one, it calls on the president to publicly declare that the Deferred Action Program he unilaterally announced in june, 2012, will not apply to the recent waves of children who have recently crossing our southwestern border. Now, thats the same thing that secretary johnson has been saying and others, but its different coming from the president of the United States. It will be covered by the press. It will be communicated to parents in Central America. Dont send your children to the United States and turn them over and make them an additional part of this humanitarian crisis and subject them to all the perils that i have talked about repeat edly of that treacherous trip from Central America to the United States. Secondly, this resolution calls on the president to publicly discourage parents in Central America and mexico and elsewhere from sending their kids on one of the most dangerous mieg migration journeys in the world third, it calls on the president to fully and faithfully enforce u. S. Immigration laws. Now, i dont know what the facts are, but i do know some of the members of the house of representatives, Luis Gutierrez has very recently said if we cant pasS Immigration reform that suits him, he wants the president to take further unilateral action, declining to enforce our Immigration Laws. That just contributes to the impression thats causing this wave of humanity that is coming to the United States and creating the humanitarian crisis. It doesnt fix it. It makes it worse. And i hope the president is watching and listening and decides that he needs to be the one to make this statement because only the president has the bully pulpit necessary to deal with this. Fourth, our resolution calls on the president to ensure that states like texas and i see my colleague from arizona. I would include arizona, california and other border states have the resources we need to handle the crisis and to guarantee humane treatment of unaccompanied migrant children. Some of my colleagues from texas visited the facility in Lackland Air Force base on monday, including senator cruz and others, and they reported back conditions which, frankly, are very disturbing. And fifth, this resolution calls on the president to work closely with mexico and Central America officials to improve security at mexicos southern border. Mexico has a 500mile southern border with guatemala, which is insecure and porous, through which many of these or all of the unaccompanied minors from Central America come. So, madam president , i realize how controversial and polarizing the whole discussion about immigration can be, but i suggest we need to try to Work Together on a bipartisan basis to deal with it and that we should, by hopefully making this above partisan politics and doing our job, that we can help resolve this immediate crisis, but then we can help regain the micks confidence so they will allow us to take the reasonable steps we know we need to take moving forward to fix our broken Immigration Laws. Passing this resolution, i believe, would send a powerful message about our commitment and the president s commitment to the rule of law. Our commitment to resolving the Current Border crisis and our commitment to saving these Young Children from unimaginably treache