Alabama Congressman Dale Strong in first House speech: Finish the wall
Making his first floor speech Thursday on the House of Representatives, north Alabama Congressman Dale Strong said he would introduce legislation calling for the resumption of building a wall on the Mexican border.
Strong, a Republican from Monrovia near Huntsville, repeated throughout his five-minute speech that “America is under attack” – citing what he described as a lack of security on the border. Strong took part in a trip to visit the border last month with the House Committee on Homeland Security.
“At the border, port of entry had to be delayed because a mule (a slang term for smugglers) tried to smuggle 70 pounds of cocaine right in front of 12 United States Congressman,” Strong said. “The American people are being told by the Secretary of Homeland Security that our borders are secure. There is nothing further from the truth. While heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana and human smuggling are flowing into our country at alarming rates, America is under attack.”
Strong, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, said the bill he plans to introduce will require construction of the border wall to resume so long as troops are sent to help secure the border.
“If our border is secure, then why over the last two years has the administration continued to send troops to our border?” Strong said. “That alone signals to every American that we have a problem. Why are they stopping border wall construction, which is an important first step in securing our border? I will introduce legislation to address this question. My bill will resume border wall construction and ensure the president cannot withhold resources while sending our troops to the front line. Our country is under attack.”
In his speech, Strong talked about people trying to scale the border wall.
“Two adults attempted to climb the border fence the day we got there,” he said. “They fell and were critically injured. American taxpayers are paying the bill. Hospitals are inundated with non-U.S. citizens.”
Strong also said that a border patrol agent was attacked by “illegal aliens” during the congressional visit.
“They are trying to kill American law enforcement agents,” he said.
Strong also repeatedly took issue with comments by Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, that the border is “secure.” Strong has co-sponsored a bill calling for the impeachment of Mayorkas introduced by Texas Congressman Pat Fallon. Alabama Congressmen Jerry Carl and Gary Palmer are also co-sponsors of the bill.
“On our visit to the border, we met with Texas National Guard, United States Homeland Security, border patrol, customs and immigration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas state troopers,” Strong said. “Not one of these agencies or officials we met with could say that the U.S. border was secure, not one.”