Border crises a security issue for Iowans

The border crisis is a safety and security issue for every Iowa family. I dedicated a full day of my 22 County Tour to meeting with law enforcement and other officials who are on the front lines of the border crisis in Iowa and are working tirelessly to mitigate the impact of increased drugs, crime and human trafficking in our communities.

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My visits confirmed what we already knew to be true: every state, including Iowa, is a border state under Joe Biden. I will continue shining a light on this devastating crisis and proposing solutions, starting with calling on President Biden to reverse the over 60 executive actions he has taken to undermine our border security.

It is past time to return to secure border policies including building the wall, ending catch and release and meaningfully enforcing Remain in Mexico. We must close the border and secure our country.

Read on for more information on my 22 County Tour and work for Iowans.

The Biden Administration has diverted a record number of Federal Air Marshals to the Southern Border to perform administrative duties, leaving Americans unguarded on commercial flights.

I hosted an "On the Record" Facebook Live conversation with Air Marshal National Council President David Londo on my No FAMS at the Border Act.

We discussed the safety concerns posed by the Biden Administration's move to divert FAMS to the Southern Border, the current shortage of FAMS, and the importance of keeping FAMS in the sky.

I-35 runs straight from the Southern Border to Iowa. I met with representatives from the Worth County Sheriff's Office, Worth County Board of Supervisors and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to hear more about their efforts to counter increased drug activity and human trafficking in rural Iowa amid this crisis

I met with the Osage Police Department and heard more about the influx of deadly drugs — especially meth — that has come to Iowa from the Southern Border. Our officers are doing everything they can to get these drugs off our streets to protect Iowans. I’m grateful for their dedication to our communities

I met with the Iowa Narcotics Officers Association. They told me cartel-connected drug cases in Iowa have tripled since Biden took office. This isn't a coincidence. It is the predictable result of Biden giving the cartels the green light.

We must support our law enforcement officers as they fight this growing crisis

I enjoyed meeting with the University of Northern Iowa Student Government last week. I'm happy to report that I changed hearts and minds on TikTok and explained that Congress isn’t trying to ban this app, we are forcing TikTok to cut ties with Communist China to protect Americans.

I’m proud of these bright students for being so engaged.

It was a pleasure to join the Waterloo Rotary Club for their Rural Urban Day. We celebrated the connection between our rural and urban communities and recognized the contributions of our farmers in Black Hawk County

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge, Varun Pradeep and Erich Nguyen. Their app, Magnify, allows students to sort available classes by subject or grade level and plan their course schedule.

We celebrated another major milestone for flood prevention in Cedar Rapids last week with the completion of the 12th Avenue floodgate. I was proud to work alongside Sen. Joni Ernst and local officials to complete this part of the project, and I will continue prioritizing flood mitigation and prevention to help protect property, lives, and livelihoods.