Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler today delivered the following remarks, as prepared, during a full committee hearing on border security:
 
“I wish this Committee was starting off on a different note.  Unfortunately, this hearing is more of the same haphazard, chaotic style we have come to expect of this new Republican majority.  We saw them take 15 tries to pick a Speaker.  We saw them fumble on the opening play by failing to appoint Members to Committees in time for our first meeting.  And now this.

“Their first hearing will showcase the racist tendencies of the extreme MAGA Republican wing of the party that seeks to close the border to refugees from places like Cuba and Venezuela.  It almost makes me miss their usual obsession with conspiracy theories and the FBI.

“Furthermore, this hearing appears to be the latest spat in an ongoing turf war between Chairman Jordan and Chairman Comer.  As we all know, Chairman Jordan’s plans for his select subcommittee cut deeply into Chairman Comer’s jurisdiction.  Not to be outdone, Chairman Comer announced that the Oversight Committee will hold its first hearing on the subject of immigration—a topic that is squarely in this Committee’s jurisdiction—during the week of February 6. 

“Turning the tables on Chairman Comer once again, our majority hastily threw together today’s hearing to ensure that we beat the Oversight Committee by a few days—without the government witnesses that the Oversight Committee had time to secure, of course. 

“I suspect this hearing is also an attempt to distract from the fact that Republicans have failed to pass any meaningful legislation in their first month in the majority. 

“As we all know, as part of the Rules package for the House, Majority Leader Scalise included 11 “ready to go” pieces of legislation that were set to completely bypass regular order.  Many of those fell under the purview of the Judiciary Committee. 

“It appears, however, that these bills were anything but “ready to go.”  Republicans are unable to pass four of the bills that were exclusively or partially under this Committee’s jurisdiction.

“Most relevant to today’s hearing is H.R. 29, the Border Safety and Security Act of 2023.  This legislation has been described as “not Christian,” “anti-American,” and “trying to ban legitimate asylum claims.”  And those are not my words.  Those are the words of Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales of Texas.

“And he is not the only one.  According to the Washington Post, dozens of Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about the scope of this legislation.

“Now, let’s turn to today’s hearing.  There is no doubt that the majority and their witnesses will use the same extreme rhetoric we have come to expect from them.  They will tell us that the southern border is open, that President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas opened it deliberately, and that it is mostly migrants who are smuggling drugs across our Southern border.

“Of course, none of those statements are true. 

“Yes, significant numbers of individuals are arriving at our Southern border, but the Biden Administration actually expelled over 1.1 million people last year and recently expanded the use of Title 42, much to the concern of many of us here on the Committee.

“Additionally, the vast majority of drugs we seize are encountered at ports of entry. In Fiscal Year 2022, only 17 percent of illicit drugs, including 15 percent of all Fentanyl, were seized between ports of entry by Border Patrol.  The rest were seized by the Office of Field Operations, who are stationed at ports of entry.  The evidence does not show that asylum seekers are bringing drugs to our shores.  In fact, increasingly, drug cartels are recruiting American citizens to bring drugs across the border through ports of entry.

“We all agree that our immigration system is broken—but let’s fix the problems where they are, and not where FOX News talking heads imagine them to be. 

“Sadly, at every turn, this extreme Republican majority fails to offer genuine solutions and resorts to political theater.  Our colleagues across the aisle cannot even negotiate in good faith with each other, let alone with us. 

“If that changes—if House Republicans can get their act together and work with us on meaningful solutions to serious problems, as Senate Republicans appear to be willing to work with Senate Democrats—then Judiciary Committee Democrats stand ready to help.

“But given their behavior these past few months, I have my doubts.  Republicans have proposed building a wall, shutting down the asylum system, and defunding the Department of Homeland Security.  Those are not serious proposals.  They may play well with the extremist base, but they are a waste of this Committee’s time, and the American people deserve better.

“I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today.  I would also like to take a moment and express my condolences to Mr. Dunn and his family.  I cannot imagine how difficult the loss of your son has been for you and your wife.  Thank you for being here today.

“I yield back”.