No matter how loudly Democrats deny it, the national security crisis on our southern border isn’t going away. In fact, it’s getting worse.

Just recently, several dozen Central American migrants tried to rush an international port of entry near Laredo, Texas — a move that forced U.S. authorities to shut down an entire bridge tp vehicle traffic for several hours.

The migrants occupied the vehicle lane and attempted to breach the border, apparently in hopes of claiming asylum, but were stopped by U.S. Border Patrol agents who erected a temporary barrier across the bridge, highlighting the exact reason President Trump found it necessary to take executive action in order to fund the border wall.

The president’s most important duty is to protect and defend American citizens, but obstructionist Democrats in Congress have refused to provide the resources he needs to do so, leaving President Trump with no other option than to use his statutory authority to reallocate various funding necessary to construct a barrier on our border.

Though some of us have objected for years to bills that do not have enough specificity, the trouble is that Congresses have passed and recent presidents have signed into law various spending bills with a significant amount of discretion on how those dollars are spent. Presidents really have had a great deal of leeway in how dollars are spent. Another bill Congress passed back in the 1970’s with far too much discretion for the president was the National Emergency Act.

President Clinton used the National Emergency Act in aid of U.S. involvement in Bosnia. Now the Democrats get upset because the National Emergency Act is used to protect our OWN borders instead of those of foreign countries. Is that political hypocrisy, or just very poor judgment? Sometimes it is difficult to tell.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, 22,000 minor children crossed our southern border illegally in December alone, with 25 percent of them unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. In February, the number of illegal crossings at the southern border hit an 11-year high, as Border Patrol agents interdicted more than 76,000 illegal immigrants.

While Congress played games and allowed the partial government shutdown to drag on for over a month, they ignored the fact that in 2017, more Americans died from illegal drugs — most of which are smuggled in through the southern border — than were killed during all the years of the entire Vietnam War.

More than 48,000 Americans died of opioid-related overdoses alone in 2017, the same year that U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized over 900 pounds of heroin from smugglers trying to cross the border.

Meanwhile, thousands of the illegal immigrants currently incarcerated by ICE have been convicted of violent crimes, including sexual assault, kidnapping, and murder.

Despite these very real threats to our country, though, the U.S. House of Representatives has now passed legislation to overturn the President’s emergency declaration, and now the Senate seems poised to force him into issuing his first-ever veto.

The concerns expressed by some conservatives about expanding executive power sound genuine, but they’re also misplaced. The problem is not how President Trump is using his power to protect our sovereignty, but that Congress ever gave that much power to Presidents to begin with. President Obama vastly exceeded the powers he was given, as he himself even noted before creating the DACA program without ever passing a law. That was unlike President Trump’s emergency declaration because the Obama actions had absolutely no grounding in laws previously passed by Congress.

Meanwhile, open-borders Democrats are doing everything they can to prevent President Trump from protecting our country’s border as he attempts to seize control back from the drug cartels. The most discerning Americans are beginning to recoil from the radical obstructionist efforts by Democrats who seem to care less about their own constituents than they do about the border crisis.

Even suburban women, who are widely credited with helping Democrats secure their House majority in the 2018 midterm elections, are becoming increasingly supportive of the President’s actions. It is ironic that the most compassionate, caring action the U.S. could take to help those in Mexico and Central America would be to completely secure our southern border cutting off the tens of billions of dollars that flow across to the drug cartels every year. Securing our southern borders means ending the reign of terror by the cartels against our southern neighbors, which would allow them to develop thoroughly vibrant economies.

According to a new Zogby Analytics poll, the president’s recent executive actions to fund construction of the border wall are even more popular among suburban women than they are among likely voters in the broader population. A plurality of suburban women — 45 percent — support President Trump’s executive actions, and 50 percent back his decision to declare a state of emergency.

Keeping America safe shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but the Democrat Party has embraced a radical, open-borders agenda that is anathema to most Americans.

The threats and harm that are created by our porous southern border should be precisely the type of issue that brings all Americans together. After all, most Democrats in Congress have previously supported much of what our president is trying to do to secure our border. Unfortunately, too many Democrats are letting their President Trump Derangement Syndrome keep them from doing what is best for our nation’s people.

Louie Gohmert has represented Texas as a Republican in the House of Representatives since 2005.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/22/gohmert-border-crisis/

On Wednesday, a former U.S soldier was granted parole after serving eight years of a life sentence for premeditated murder after shooting an Afghan civilian who attempted to take his firearm.

According to an online petition started two years ago, Sergeant Derrick Miller was in Afghanistan for his third deployment in four years when the incident took place.

“On September 24, Sgt. Miller’s attention was drawn to an Afghan national who had penetrated the defense perimeter set up by the US Army,” the petition with more than 10,000 signatures reads. “The Afghan man was positively identified by another soldier under Sgt. Miller’s command who recognized him from a detainment the previous day. Sgt. Miller was sent to question the Afghan national after observing the suspicious behavior of the man as he reconnoitered their defense perimeter. During the harsh questioning, the Afghan insurgent attempted to grab Sgt. Miller’s weapon, and was shot and killed in the struggle.”

The petition adds that 45 minutes later, Miller’s unit was attacked on three sides from insurgents.

“Because of Sgt. Miller’s actions, his unit immediately went to 100% security, and no American lives were lost that day,” the petition states.

During his trial, Miller’s attorneys argued that he acted in self-defense while in the Taliban-held area of Afghanistan.

In a statement, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said it was his “honor” to advocate for Miller who he believes “appeared to have the deck stacked against him during the Obama Administration while Sgt. Miller worked passionately to defend his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan.”

“After first backing Sgt. Miller’s story, an Afghan interpreter was coaxed into changing his story to testify at trial against Sgt. Miller with promises of U.S. citizenship for himself and his family,” Gohmert said. “Since prior efforts to get U.S. visas had been denied, he was more than willing to have a U.S. soldier convicted if it meant safety and legalization for them in the U.S. It was evident that same deck was stacked against Sgt. Miller when witnesses he needed in Afghanistan were not allowed to come testify at his trial in the U.S.”

“It has been my honor to advocate for Sergeant Miller, who appeared to have the deck stacked against him during the Obama administration for working passionately to defend his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan ..." https://t.co/BG5jW7rJz7

— Louie Gohmert (@replouiegohmert) March 21, 2019

Gohmert testified at a hearing to modify the conviction to allow Miller to be eligible for parole.

“The faith in God of Derrick and his mother never wavered during the nine-year ordeal,” Gohmert said. “They are very special people. Derrick’s actions actually saved American military lives for which not only got no credit; he was sent to prison. But this good news has brought joy for Derrick and those of us who were trying to help him.”

Miller’s mother, Renee Miller, thanked Gohmert for “his valiant effort to fight for this American son.”

“One meeting with Congressman Gohmert is all it took for this good and caring Congressman from Texas to engage on Derrick's behalf,” Renee said. “Congressman Gohmert went that extra mile, he attended two of Derrick's hearings and he fought for his release! I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you live in Texas, you are lucky to have such a devoted and caring Congressman who fights for our brave Sons who fight for us.”

Miller will be released from the military prison at Fort Leavenworth on May 20, 2019.

(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Louie Gohmert (R.-Texas), a former Texas state judge who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, said in a question-and-answer exchange with CNSNews.com that “there is a brazen invasion occurring at our border.”

“This is a serious humanitarian and national security crisis, and as immigration enforcement professionals have repeatedly affirmed, there is no effective solution to that crisis that doesn’t include a physical barrier along at least part of our southern border,” Gohmert told CNSNews.com.

“America and her citizens deserve to have a homeland that is secure, and all of us in Congress have a duty to provide that security,” he said.

“Those who are blocking the president’s efforts and our efforts to secure it,” he said, “ought to have the courage to take credit for all the damage, suffering and death their actions are allowing.”

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Here is the CNSNews.com Q&A with Rep. Gohmert:

CNSNews.com: What do you consider the single most pressing issue facing Congress today, and why?

Gohmert: Securing the border is the most pressing issue facing Congress. If you don’t have secure borders, you don’t have a country. Right now, there is a brazen invasion occurring at our border. Though overall numbers may have been down overall for last year, the last six months have seen record setting numbers of adults bringing in children. They have gotten word that with Democrats controlling the House, if they just bring a child, no matter whose child it is, they will get to stay. Sadly, cartels, drug traffickers and dangerous gangs have taken advantage of our porous borders for their own profit.

My friends in the Border Patrol tell me this week that because of the overwhelming numbers coming over the border there is no place to hold them. After catching them illegally entering, agents are ordered to release them once they get their information. This failure to secure this country places American lives at risk, with drug cartels in control of our border bringing in deadly drugs, ongoing violence and heinous sex trafficking.

This is a serious humanitarian and national security crisis, and as immigration enforcement professionals have repeatedly affirmed, there is no effective solution to that crisis that doesn’t include a physical barrier along at least part of our southern border. America and her citizens deserve to have a homeland that is secure, and all of us in Congress have a duty to provide that security. Those who are blocking the president’s efforts and our efforts to secure it ought to have the courage to take credit for all the damage, suffering and death their actions are allowing.

CNSNews.com: President Donald Trump is moving to fund the border wall by invoking the National Emergencies Act of 1976. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D.-Minn.) has tweeted that the next president should declare a national emergency “on day 1” to address “Climate Change.” Does a president have the unilateral power to take actions to address “Climate Change” under the National Emergencies Act?

Gohmert: The president and Congress have a constitutional duty to protect and defend this country—they do not have a duty to take away our constitutional rights based on climate models that have been repeatedly wrong. A good example is Al Gore giving dire warnings of studies showing the North Polar ice cap melting by 2013 or 2014. Though “Climate Change” is definitely real since we have it four times a year where I live in Texas, the Constitution does not permit moving us toward a totalitarian socialism in the name of anything including “Climate Change.”

For Republicans to say President Trump should not have declared a National Emergency because it may result in a Democrat violating the Constitution is nonsensical. As we saw during the Obama administration, they had no fear of blazing new unconstitutional trails without Republican precedent.

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Rep. Louie Gohmert and Rep. Mark Meadows in front of the Capitol, Dec. 6, 2017. (Getty Images/Alex Wong)

CNSNews.com: How will it affect your state of Texas over the next five years if additional border wall is not funded and built?

Gohmert: The Texas Department of Public Safety reports that according to DHS status indicators, “over 282,000 criminal aliens have been booked into local Texas jails between June 1, 2011 and February 28, 2019, of which over 191,000 were classified as illegal aliens by DHS.”

Additionally, “Between June 1, 2011 and February 28, 2019, these 191,000 illegal aliens were charged with more than 299,000 criminal offenses which included arrests for 545 homicide charges; 33,082 assault charges; 5,779 burglary charges; 37,689 drug charges; 411 kidnapping charges; 16,119 theft charges; 23,914 obstructing police charges; 1,679 robbery charges; 3,516 sexual assault charges; 4,722 sexual offense charges; and 3,007 weapon charges. DPS criminal history records reflect those criminal charges have thus far resulted in over 122,000 convictions including 245 homicide convictions; 13,801 assault convictions; 3,176 burglary convictions; 18,105 drug convictions; 175 kidnapping convictions; 7,160 theft convictions; 11,421 obstructing police convictions; 1,021 robbery convictions; 1,731 sexual assault convictions; 2,376 sexual offense convictions; and 1,297 weapon convictions.”

These are devastating numbers and will surely increase exponentially as the numbers surge to all-time highs at the Texas-Mexico border. Sadly, having more criminal offenders in Texas means more crime and unnecessary heartbreak for countless people. However, the numbers of crimes by illegal aliens reported above will be reduced to ZERO if our border is completely secure. That is a tremendous amount of anguish and suffering by victims that does not have to happen, and we have the power to prevent it.

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Rep. Louie Gohmert in the basement of the Capitol, Oct 28, 2015. (Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)

CNSNews.com: Other than President Trump's proposed border wall, what are the most effective actions the government can take to stem the flow of illegal aliens into the United States?

Gohmert: Preventing anyone crossing the border illegally and setting foot in the U.S. would be a good first step. Changing the law to require that all asylum claims must be made at a U.S. embassy in the foreigner’s country would be immensely helpful. Until then, having immigration judges stationed right at the border to insure immediate hearings for anyone claiming asylum would make a difference.

Mandating interior enforcement such as E-Verify would be another critical step, which would also ultimately safeguard American workers who are losing jobs and wages to illegal immigrants. Enforcing and expanding this type of system to every workplace will decelerate illegal immigration, certifying jobs are filled only by workers who are legally here. This is essential to removing the incentives which “pull” illegal immigrants into the U.S., which includes finding employment.

CNSNews.com: Do you believe the majority of the members in the House of Representatives want to secure the southern border of the United States against illegal crossers?

Gohmert: Unfortunately, too many of our Members of Congress have heard from the loudest advocates who want open borders, but not the majority who want secured borders. It appears all of the Democrats are standing united against securing our borders, while some may play lip service to their constituents and claim they support some form of border security. On top of those are a handful of Republicans who did not want President Trump elected and want to prevent his success at any cost, even though it means Americans will suffer.

It is ludicrous that the Democrats have clearly placed their political agenda before the protection of American lives. At every turn, they have obstructed our Commander-in-Chief from securing this nation’s borders and that is frankly appalling. The situation at the southern border is a true national emergency. There is nothing more important than our nation’s security.

Yesterday, Sergeant Derrick Miller was granted parole and will be released from Fort Leavenworth on May 20, 2019 after having served eight years in military prison. Sgt. Miller was serving a Life Sentence at Fort Leavenworth for murder though he acted in self-defense when an Afghan insurgent attempted to take his gun. 

Renee Miller, Sgt. Derrick Miller’s mother, appeared at both of her son’s hearings and sent out a statement yesterday which included the following: “I especially want to thank Congressman Louie Gohmert for his valiant effort to fight for this American Son.  One meeting with Congressman Gohmert is all it took for this good and caring Congressman from Texas to engage on Derrick's behalf. Congressman Gohmert went that extra mile, he attended two of Derrick's hearings and he fought for his release!  I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you live in Texas, you are lucky to have such a devoted and caring Congressman who fights for our brave Sons who fight for us.” 

Congressman Gohmert responded, “It has been my honor to advocate for Sergeant Derrick Miller, who appeared to have the deck stacked against him during the Obama administration while Sgt. Miller worked passionately to defend his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. After first backing Sgt. Miller’s story, an Afghan interpreter was coaxed into changing his story to testify at trial against Sgt. Miller with promises of U.S. citizenship for himself and his family.  Since prior efforts to get U.S. visas had been denied, he was more than willing to have a U.S. soldier convicted if it meant safety and legalization for them in the U.S.  It was evident that same deck was stacked against Sgt. Miller when witnesses he needed in Afghanistan were not allowed to come testify at his trial in the U.S.”

“Certainly Sgt. Miller was not guilty of pre-meditated murder as he was originally convicted, which is why I testified at a hearing to modify the conviction so he could become eligible for parole. Then when the Board agreed to modify his conviction, he became eligible for parole. It was my honor to testify once again for him at the parole hearing. The faith in God of Derrick and his mother never wavered during the nine-year ordeal. They are very special people. Derrick’s actions actually saved American military lives for which not only got no credit; he was sent to prison. But this good news has brought joy for Derrick and those of us who were trying to help him,” Congressman Gohmert said. 

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Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement this morning regarding the horrific shootings at two mosques in New Zealand: 

“"The shootings at the New Zealand mosques are egregiously reprehensible. The shooters need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law along with anyone who knowingly aided their efforts in any way. There are courts, dispute resolutions, and legislatures to resolve controversies – there is no place for cold blooded murders. Though New Zealand does not have the death penalty, hopefully its people, through their justice system, will send the message loudly and clearly that such barbarity from anyone will not be tolerated.”  

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Representative Louie Gohmert (TX01) released the following statement today regarding his vote against H. Res 183 which was repeatedly watered down so that it did not even condemn the anti-Semitic remarks that spurred the need for the bill:

“It is appalling that any type of anti-Semitic comment would be rationalized by Democrats. In fact, this resolution was solely on the House Floor today because of anti-Semitic remarks made by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), yet neither she nor her remarks are ever mentioned in the text. This resolution, edited repeatedly by House Democrats, was meant to condemn anti-Semitism; however, it became so generic that it lost its meaning or significance. I am grateful that the very last version of the bill gratuitously worked in the word ‘Christian’ once in the seven page bill.”

“As I pointed out in my House floor speech, watering down any condemnation of anti-Semitic remarks is the way a holocaust begins. It needed to be condemned immediately before it starts us much further toward more widespread anti-Semitic hatred that leads to another attempted genocide.”

Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01) was honored by The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) today for his work to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their students in the 115^th Congress.

Congressman Gohmert made the following statement on being designated to the “Honor Roll,” a title reserved for members who have produced measurable impacts on campuses:

“UNCF has a powerful mission: to advocate for the importance of minority education and community engagement. I have seen and learned first-hand that these institutions contain a huge percentage of students who are the first in their family ever to attend college. Once that first family member attends, it blows the ceiling off for following generations who so often go on to do extraordinary things.  

“The colleges in this organization are all about equipping bright individuals through their college education which prepares them to thrive, graduate and become leaders in the world today. It is also notable that these institutions in east Texas unashamedly also equip their students with a spiritual dimension as well and an understanding of the true and ultimate source of wisdom. 

“It is a great honor to be recognized by UNCF at the 2019 State of the HBCU Address in Washington, D.C.  Having seen the good that these institutions in east Texas have done, it remains my goal to assist them as they equip students in the years ahead to make America even greater.”

Each Member of Congress is scored based on his or her voting record and participation in activities that support HBCU’s core principles. Rep. Gohmert has been an advocate for HBCUs throughout his time in Congress, consistently voting on legislation that would not just support these institutions but would allow them to thrive. He has worked extensively with Wiley College, Texas College, and Jarvis Christian College, all of which are HBCU institutions within his district in Texas.

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Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) adjourned a climate change hearing on Tuesday with the help of Republicans because not enough Democrats attended the hearing.

The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on Tuesday titled, “The Denial Playbook: How Industries Manipulate Science and Policy from Climate Change to Public Health,” which Democrats hoped could help push their climate change agenda.

At one point in the hearing, because not enough Democrats attended the hearing, Rep. Gohmert decided to adjourn the meeting.

The Texas conservative said at the hearing, “The ideas of eliminating cows or air travel are not promising starting points,” citing some possible solutions proposed in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey’s (D-MA) Green New Deal.

Gohmert then called for a motion to adjourn in which the chair of the hearing ruled that, via a voice vote, the Democrats won the motion to adjourn. However, Rep. Gohmert requested a recorded vote and the Republicans won the motion so the hearing soon ended.

Congressman Gohmert told Breitbart News in an exclusive comment on Tuesday that the Democrats’ hearing was about nothing more than politics.

“Even though this hearing included climate change discussion for the SEVENTH time, most of the hearing involved subjects clearly outside the jurisdiction of our Natural Resources subcommittee. In fact, most of the Democrats found it so far down their priorities that they did not attend,” Gohmert told Breitbart News. “While traumatic brain injury from contact sports, labor standards, occupational safety, and the opioid crisis deserve congressional scrutiny and are exceedingly important issues, our committee had no jurisdiction over them, meaning this hearing was all about politics and nothing at all about legislation that would fix any of these problems.

“When even the bulk of the Democrats would not attend the hearing, it made no sense to continue the hearing about matters our committee was not allowed to fix, so I made the motion to adjourn. It passed because most Democrats did not attend,” Gohmert said. “Our committee has very significant problems within our jurisdiction which are matters we should have been working on together.”

Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement on his votes against H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 which were gun control bills that created added burdens for law abiding citizens:

“Criminals, by definition, do not follow the law. Adding new laws that would bar a father from lending a gun to his step-son for a hunting trip without an onerous and costly background check is ludicrous. We should focus on enforcing existing law, not passing new ones that would make law-abiding citizens into criminals. There is nothing in either one of these bills that would have prevented the recent shootings that  we are told are the motivation for the bills. Over and over again, we see mass violence occur as a result of numerous violations either by the criminal or by agencies not following existing law. The Obama administration had amazingly low numbers of prosecutions for violation of gun laws. 

“All these new laws would do is impose substantial burdens on law-abiding citizens, therefore, making it more difficult for honest citizens to purchase, own, carry, and use a firearm.  Criminals do not bother with having background checks.  We keep being told that background checks stopped 3 million illegal purchases of guns. That is not true; there were 3 million initial hits on the background checks, but when secondary checking was done, over 95% were false hits according to gun statistician John Lott. It still is true that criminals prefer to get their firearms through theft or buying from another criminal. 

Sadly, if these bills become law, you could not loan your gun to a friend who was being threatened with domestic violence without first running a background check; otherwise, you as the good Samaritan become the criminal.  Tragically the waiting period might be the difference between life and death for some victims of domestic violence or stalking.

Not only were these bills brought forth by violating regular Congressional process, they contain many policy errors. Additionally, I had many concerns raised in the House Judiciary Committee that have not been adequately addressed.

Unfortunately, these pieces of legislation, requiring ‘universal background checks,’ do nothing to address the real problems leading to mass shootings and gun violence.

“The answer to gun violence is not placing superfluous regulations and burdensome costs on those who want to lawfully express their Second Amendment rights afforded to them under the U.S. Constitution. If Democrats want to make the background check system work better, there are ways that can be done and these two bills are not it." 

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