As most folks across East Alabama have seen on the news lately, there is a serious immigration crisis at our Southwest border, and so far it doesn’t look like the Federal government has control of the situation.

There is a flood of unaccompanied minors illegally crossing our borders. The Department of Homeland Security estimates over 90,000 children will cross our border in 2014, and over 160,000 children are expected to cross in 2015.

Last month, I sent a letter to President Obama asking him to deploy the National Guard to the Southwest border to help deal with this crisis. The Border Patrol agents on the ground are overwhelmed and understaffed to deal with the number of children that are flooding into America.

In a recent Homeland Security Committee hearing on this crisis, I asked Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson what could be done to expedite returning these children to family members in their own countries the same way we expedite returns for many adults.

But Secretary Johnson didn’t have any answers.

This immigration crisis is, I believe, a direct result of the Obama Administration refusing to enforce the immigration laws on the books. I asked participants in a Tele-town Hall meeting who they thought was to blame for the crisis and 90 percent of those who participated in the poll agreed with me that it is the president to blame.

On top of this, I also learned recently that the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal agency tasked with handling the illegal immigrant children after they are apprehended, was looking at possibly housing detainees at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Calhoun County.

Why would HHS transport the unaccompanied minors over 900 miles to Alabama?

It just doesn’t make sense and I strongly opposed - and continue to strongly oppose - this misguided and misinformed proposal. When the relocation plan came to light, I wrote HHS Secretary Burwell and DHS Secretary Johnson demanding answers on why CDP was even being considered.

While they pulled the option off the table, I still want answers as to why this plan was ever considered over returning these children to their homes as quickly as possible.

President Obama has asked Congress for $3.7 billion to deal with this crisis. Frankly, I don’t think it would do much to secure our borders or help resolve this crisis as long as the president refuses to enforce our existing immigration laws.

As a sovereign country, we must enforce our rule of law. I will continue to follow this situation closely and will continue to fight for our current immigration laws to be enforced.

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