{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://buddycarter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=8584", "Carter introduces Build Better Borders Act", "2021-11-22", "2021", "2021-11", "Republican", "House", "GA", "Earl L. \"Buddy\" Carter", "C001103", "buddycarter.house.gov", "buddycarter", "https://buddycarter.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Today, Rep. Earl L. \u201cBuddy\u201d Carter (R-GA) announced the introduction of the Build Better Borders Act of 2021, a bill that will secure our southern border and ensure no illegal immigrant is given taxpayer dollars for breaking the law.\n\n\u201cDrugs and crime are pouring across our southern border. Since Biden took office, illegal border crossings have increased over 200% and there is now enough fentanyl in the United States to kill every American adult three times over. As a pharmacist, I know an effective prescription when I see one, and building the wall is the only remedy to a crisis of this magnitude. We cannot treat illegal immigrants better than we do families of fallen soldiers. It\u2019s time to reestablish the rule of law and force Joe Biden to protect our safety, taxpayer dollars, and constitution,\u201d said Rep. Buddy Carter.\n\nThe Build Better Borders Act, the real BBB, will increase civil monetary penalties for illegally crossing the border to $450,000. It also stipulates that any funds collected from these fines will be directed to border wall construction along the United States\u2019 southern border.\n\nReps. Rick Allen (R-GA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), and Jody Hice (R-GA) cosponsored this legislation.\n\n\u201cThe Biden Administration has not requested any funding for the border wall, in fact they have actively stopped construction! Now they allegedly want to pay illegal immigrants as much as $450,000. These policies have sent the wrong message that our border is wide open and there are no consequences for illegally entering our country. Our commonsense legislation will increase fines for those who break the law and then put those funds toward securing our border,\u201d said Rep. Rick Allen.\n\n\u201cIllegal immigration is a serious crime and deserves a serious penalty. Instead of giving $450,000 payouts to aliens who entered our country illegally, the Biden Administration should prosecute illegal aliens for breaking our laws. Enough is enough. America deserves sovereignty and security, not an Administration that incentivizes illegal immigration,\u201d said Rep. Andy Biggs.\n\n\u201cWhile our country is facing an unprecedented border crisis, the Biden Administration wants to reward illegal aliens for breaking our immigration laws by writing them checks, courtesy of law-abiding American taxpayers. This is unfathomable. We hope this legislation will move quickly to counteract President Biden\u2019s latest attempt to get as many illegal immigrants in the country as possible,\u201d said Rep. Glenn Grothman.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:30:49Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://buddycarter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=8584"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6625431124120951, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}