Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Res. 50 Introduced in House (IH)]
119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 50
Recognizing that article I, section 10 of the United States Constitution explicitly reserves to the States the sovereign power to repel an invasion and defend their citizenry from the overwhelming and "imminent danger" posed by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels, terrorists and criminal actors who seized control of our southern border.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2025
Mr. Arrington (for himself, Mr. Self, Mr. Ellzey, Mr. Weber of Texas, Ms. Van Duyne, Mr. Fallon, Mr. Nehls, Mr. Moran, Mr. Babin, Mr. Williams of Texas, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. Gooden, Ms. De La Cruz, Mr. Luttrell, Mr. Jackson of Texas, Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas, and Mr. McCaul) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
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RESOLUTION
Recognizing that article I, section 10 of the United States Constitution explicitly reserves to the States the sovereign power to repel an invasion and defend their citizenry from the overwhelming and "imminent danger" posed by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels, terrorists and criminal actors who seized control of our southern border.
Whereas the Preamble to the United States Constitution outlines the chief responsibility of the Federal Government is to "insure domestic tranquility" and "provide for the common defense"; Whereas article IV, section 4 of the United States Constitution clearly states "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion"; Whereas President Biden failed to uphold his oath and fulfill his constitutional duty to "faithfully execute" the laws of the land; Whereas, during the Biden administration there were recordbreaking apprehensions at the southern border; Whereas from 2021 through 2024, monthly apprehensions exceeded 200,000 for numerous months and continue to increase month over month, eclipsing all-time records for apprehensions at the southern border; Whereas from 2021 through 2024, border States spent billions of dollars annually on the provision of healthcare, housing, education, and other services for illegal aliens; Whereas those apprehended came from over 160 nations, including many individuals on the terrorist watch list and Special Interest Aliens; Whereas thousands of criminal offenses have been committed by illegal immigrants, including assault, homicide, illegal drug and contraband possession, trafficking, and sexual offenses; Whereas from 2021 through 2024, criminal offenses committed by illegal immigrants increased one hundred plus percent year over year; Whereas from 2021 through 2024, arrests of illegal immigrants convicted of sex offenses increased one thousand plus percent year over year according to Customs and Border Protection; Whereas from 2021 through 2024, authorities seized thousands of pounds of fentanyl--enough to kill every American multiple times over; Whereas the United States has a drug epidemic whereby tens of thousands of Americans die every year and almost 100 percent of drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, are smuggled across the southern border; Whereas migrant women and children, were abused, raped, tortured, enslaved, and trafficked as a result of the Biden administration's failure to secure our southern border; Whereas from 2021 through 2024, attempted crossings by, and apprehensions of, illegal immigrant criminals on the FBI's terror watchlist increased exponentially, and even more illegal immigrant criminals and terrorists may have slipped across the border without detection as "gotaways"; Whereas cartels act as paramilitary, narco-terrorist organizations that profit from trafficking people and drugs across the southern border into the United States; Whereas Customs and Border Protection agents have confirmed that cartels facilitate and profit from virtually every illegal border crossing; Whereas the Biden administration removed effective measures that reduced illegal immigration and secured the border, including the Migrant Protection Protocols and border wall construction; Whereas the Biden administration implemented measures that increased illegal immigration including reinstating "catch and release" policies, weakening asylum requirements, and countless other policy decisions that encourage a disregard for our laws and sovereignty and embolden cartels; Whereas States along our southern border--Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California--are forced to spend billions of their own taxpayer dollars to address and combat the devastation resulting from an unsecured southern border; Whereas from 2021 through 2024, State and local law enforcement entities were overwhelmed by criminal activity associated with illegal border crossings, putting officers and communities in danger while draining local resources; and Whereas from 2021 through 2024, the quality of life and security of communities in border States, along with every other State in the United States, were threatened, including ranchers suffering from stolen and damaged property, healthcare providers with strained capacity, and educators struggling to absorb the high volume of migrant children in classrooms: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) declares and finds as a matter of fact any State within the United States has the sovereign right to exclude from the sovereign's territory any person who does not have the right to be there; (2) declares and finds as a matter of fact that from 2021 through 2024, the States at our southern border, including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, were invaded or were in such imminent danger from paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels, terrorists, and criminal actors as will not admit delay as stated in article I, section 10 of the United States Constitution and those States have the sovereign and unilateral authority pursuant to article I, section 10 of the United States Constitution to defend themselves against the invasion or imminent danger by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels, terrorists and criminal actors; (3) declares and finds as a matter of fact that from 2021 through 2024, the United States failed to protect the aforementioned States at our southern border against invasion pursuant to article IV, section 4 of the United States Constitution or to "ensure domestic tranquility", "provide for the common defense", and "execute the laws" of the United States; and (4) declares and finds as a matter of fact the Biden administration failed to faithfully execute the laws of the United States and to defend and protect the aforementioned States on the southern border against invasion or imminent danger.