Arizona Representative Paul Gosar, Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert, and Illinois Representative Mary Miller are pointing to a recent migrant surge in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta as evidence that Congress must permanently codify border-security laws rather than rely on executive action alone.
In a joint op-ed, the three lawmakers described an estimated 60,000 migrants, many of them military-age men, attempting to overwhelm the small Spanish territory near the Moroccan border. “This was not an isolated event,” they wrote, tying the surge to Spain’s recent moves toward amnesty for illegal aliens. Spain’s Civil Guard described the border as having “totally collapsed,” while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez deployed the military and called the surge a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.
The lawmakers argued Americans should recognize a familiar pattern. They wrote that the nation endured its own version of the crisis when record numbers of illegal aliens crossed the southern border amid expanded catch-and-release policies, parole abuse, and a strained asylum system.
“President Trump’s return to office and his decisive executive actions have restored deterrence and operational control,” the lawmakers wrote. “But executive actions are temporary.” They warned that a future administration hostile to enforcement could reverse those policies just as quickly as they were reversed after the prior administration, adding that the country remains “one presidential election away from another invasion” unless Congress closes existing legal loopholes.
The op-ed points to specific vulnerabilities the lawmakers say persist in current law, including the Flores Settlement, which they argue encourages families and unaccompanied minors to cross the border expecting release into the interior. They also cited asylum-system weaknesses and continued mass parole authority as unresolved risks.
To address those gaps, the lawmakers highlighted a House Judiciary Committee markup secured this summer for Texas Representative Chip Roy’s Permanent Trump Secure Border Act, H.R. 9773. The bill builds on border-security provisions from H.R. 2, legislation that passed the House during the 118th Congress. According to the op-ed, the measure would raise the credible-fear standard for asylum claims to “more likely than not,” limit asylum applications to ports of entry, require detention or prompt return when operational control cannot be maintained, mandate safe-third-country agreements, and close loopholes tied to the Flores Settlement.
“These reforms directly address the gaps” exploited during the prior administration, the lawmakers wrote, calling on leadership to bring the bill to the floor when Congress reconvenes. “Partial measures will not suffice,” they added, framing Ceuta as a preview of what can happen “when government signals that borders are optional and unlawful entry may be rewarded.”
The Permanent Trump Secure Border Act has not yet received a floor vote, and its timeline remains dependent on how leadership prioritizes border legislation in the coming legislative session.
