WASHINGTON—Last night, U.S. Representative John Rose (TN-6) delivered remarks on the House Floor advocating for security and enforcement at the southern border as apprehensions reach a 21-year high.

The full speech, as prepared for delivery, is below:

The fight to restore law and order and secure our southern border continues.

Border apprehensions remain at a two-decade high, as the Department of Homeland Security warns officials to prepare for roughly 400,000 illegal migrants to cross the border this month.

President Biden is more committed to ending President Trump’s policies that successfully slowed the surge of illegal crossings than he is to secure our border.

The cartels and human smugglers have taken notice of our weakened position and are more than willing to exploit these changes for their financial benefit.

Meanwhile, those who are understandably seeking opportunity and a better future are being coached to gain entrance to the U.S. by claiming asylum.

As a result of our open southern border and the refusal by the Biden administration to detain the majority of those we encounter, more than a million illegal immigrants are expected to be brought into the interior of the United States this year with taxpayers footing the bill.

The desperate situation at the southern border calls for urgent action. Instead, House Democrats are determined to use the budget reconciliation process to pass amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants. This type of thinking, if turned into law, will have staggering consequences for our nation.

Widespread illegal immigration is detrimental, not only to Americans and our families, but to our nation, and even the migrants themselves.

As one of the representatives in Congress for Middle Tennessee, I have the responsibility to safeguard our sacred freedoms. But if we cannot control our borders, how can we defend our sovereignty as a nation? That’s why I am fighting to restore law and order at the southern border.

President Biden and House Democrats can no longer run from the crisis.

I yield back.

To watch the full speech, click here.

U.S. Representative John Rose is currently serving his second term representing Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District and resides in Cookeville with his wife, Chelsea, and their two sons, Guy and Sam. The Sixth District includes Cannon, Clay, Coffee, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, White, and Wilson counties as well as portions of Cheatham and Van Buren counties. Representative Rose is an eighth-generation farmer, small business owner, and attorney, and currently serves on the Financial Services Committee.