Morrisey says lives are at risk, demands Biden secure the southern border

Oct. 17—Arguing that "American lives are at stake," West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is demanding that President Joe Biden secure the southern border.

"This administration's callous open-border policy is endangering the lives of millions of Americans, it's a matter of national security," Morrisey said Monday. "Here you have the fentanyl coming from China and being pedaled through the southern border, human trafficking, and the potential of terrorists infiltrating the country."

Given the recent attack on Israel, some citizens are now concerned that America is at a greater risk of a terrorist attack too due to the open southern border.

"There's no excuse for the lack of security," Morrisey said. "American lives are at stake."

Morrisey, a Republican, is one of 27 attorney generals across the nation demanding that Biden secure the border and fix the nation's immigration policies.

The 27 attorney generals argue that more than seven million migrants have entered the country illegally due to Biden's open border policy.

Despite a court victory earlier this year against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's catch-and-release policies, Morrisey said the agency continues to release inadmissible migrants into the country. The 27 states are demanding that the DHS end its policy of the mass release of illegal migrants into the U.S.

The coalition of 27 states also have submitted a petition for rule making to amend the DHS's catch-and-release policies, arguing that the policies are "blatantly unlawful and have horrendous effects on the security of our country."

In addition to unlawfully releasing migrants into the U.S., Morrisey said the DHS is giving the migrants released under the practices a court date many years in the future. This allows millions of unauthorized migrants to remain in the U.S. for 15 years or longer before ever approaching a judge's bench, according to Morrisey.

In addition to West Virginia, the 27 state coalition includes Virginia, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Other area lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Gov. Jim Justice and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., also have been demanding action in recent weeks to secure the southern border.

In addition to serving as attorney general, Morrisey also is a candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination for governor of West Virginia.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens