Central ND News

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), recently appeared on Fox News' "Ingraham Angle" to discuss the ongoing debate surrounding negotiations on the southern border deal and the current state of the crisis at the border.

During the interview, Senator Cramer expressed his concerns about the impact of migrants on North Dakota's workforce. He stated, "I'd want to know where the worker is going to work. Farm workers? North Dakotans are going to say ‘great, we need more of them.’ Energy workers? ‘Wow, we need more of them.’ The medical field? ‘We'd like some more of those,’ but that's not what this bill is largely about from everything we've known so far."

He also emphasized that despite the discussions, none of the critics have seen the text of the bill. Senator Cramer said, "Remember, none of us have seen text. None of the critics have seen text."

Regarding the compromise on the border negotiations, Senator Cramer mentioned that there are some positive aspects. He highlighted, "I don't know how much time we're going to have to make the decision after we actually get to see the text [of the bill], but the things we do know, that all the negotiators agreed to, because they say it out loud, are there are some real triggers. There is expedited removal at the border. They are building an infrastructure that requires people to turn around the same day, up to a certain amount, raising the standard for asylum, credible fear standard, raising that higher, doing away with the broad stroke of everybody being on parole. So, there are some good things in the right direction… but we haven’t seen the text."

Senator Cramer also expressed his concerns about the crisis at the southern border. He criticized Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying, "I know if we do nothing, [Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas] is not going to be a better DHS Secretary. He's not going to do more enforcement." Senator Cramer further added, "There's no question Donald Trump will use these tools to a much greater effect than Joe Biden does, but I don't think we should reserve the crisis for October to give Joe Biden cover because anybody that knows anything knows Joe Biden has already lost this argument. He's already allowed 10 million people into the interior of the country illegally. So, it's not like he's going to one day be known as the guy that took care of the border crisis."

Senator Cramer's comments shed light on the concerns surrounding the southern border legislation negotiations and the impact it may have on North Dakota's workforce. The lack of access to the bill's text has raised questions about transparency and the ability to make informed decisions. The ongoing crisis at the southern border remains a pressing issue, with concerns about the effectiveness of the current administration's approach to border enforcement.