Yesterday, I testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security, and over more than three hours, several viral-internet-video-hungry Republicans attacked me and my testimony directly—often personally—without giving me any opportunity to respond. Rep. Clay Higgins (R‐LA) even questioned whether Democrats bred me “in a laboratory experiment.” A Washington Examiner reporter called it “a lecture, not a hearing.”

I was there to explain my research demonstrating that expanding legal immigration is the solution to the chaos caused by waves of illegal immigrants trying to cross the southern border between the United States and Mexico. I was also trying to explain the data that show the illicit drug fentanyl isn’t smuggled in by illegal immigrants, but instead by American citizens at legal ports of entry.

But if I tried to speak, I was talked over and gaveled down. So below are some brief responses to some of what the hostile Representatives said.

“The most generous country in the world”

Rep. Higgins (R‑LA): [You’re] whining on about broken immigration system… We are the most generous, compassionate, wealthy western nation in the world on immigration.

The U.S. ranks in the bottom third of wealthy countries for its foreign‐​born population share. This even counts our “generosity” toward illegal immigrants who we tried to ban. Rep. Higgins even cited Canada as having the more extreme policy.

But more than 21 percent of Canadians are foreign‐​born (compared to the U.S. at less than 15 percent). To catch up to Canada’s rate, the U.S. would have to admit more than 20 million immigrants tomorrow.

Further, Canada lets in more humanitarian immigrants per capita, more families per capita, and far more employer‐​sponsored individuals. It lets in more lower‐​skilled immigrants and more higher‐​skilled immigrants. It is also easier to correct one’s status in Canada.

“If I could arrest you…”

Rep. Higgins: Secretary Mayorkas, if I could arrest you for violations of Louisiana revised statutes, I would. LA RS 14.32 Negligent homicide.”

Rep. Higgins was blaming Mayorkas (and also me) for fentanyl deaths. Alejandro Mayorkas did not become Homeland Security Secretary until February of 2021. Fentanyl deaths spiked in 2020. These deaths include the Republican witness’ children who died from fentanyl in July 2020 when the borders were “closed.”

In my statement, I explained this spike in fentanyl deaths occurred because President Trump’s border policies banned most travel from Mexico. With fewer available trips and more scrutiny on each trip, drug traffickers switched from heroin to the more potent fentanyl because fentanyl can supply the same market with 50 fewer trips. Fentanyl seizures went from a third of the combined fentanyl and heroin seizures to over 90 percent. If you want to put blood on anyone’s hands, it should go on the hands of (illegally acting) Secretary Chad Wolf under President Trump.

Mass illegal immigration “is what you wanted”

Rep. Dan Bishop (R‑NC): This is what you wanted. This is what you’ve advocated for years.

I asked Rep. Bishop for a citation for this claim, and he said he would provide one. But he did not. In fact, illegal immigration is a direct consequence of shutting off legal immigration. People who want immigration to be illegal can’t complain when illegal immigration happens. It’s what they created.

Specifically, banning asylum over the last three years has meant that no one has any reason to turn themselves into Border Patrol, triggering a surge of evasion at the border. It’s the policies that Rep. Bishop are advocating for that are creating more illegal migration. I described how opening up legal migration would reduce illegal migration, as has recently been the case with Haitians seeking asylum.

“You’re strengthening the cartels.”

Rep. Bishop (R‑NC): You are strengthening the cartel with your ideology.

It is the ban on legal migration that is empowering and enriching the cartels. The only reason why immigrants are paying cartels to cross is because they cannot enter legally. Rep. Bishop tried to say the cartels could just as easily control legal immigration, but we already know how the legal process plays out for the visa categories that already exist, and they are not controlled by the cartels. We could defund the cartels tomorrow by letting immigrants enter the country legally, but U.S. policymakers care more about stopping immigrants than about defunding cartels.

Don’t believe me? Ask the smugglers. They say the Title 42 expulsions to Mexico are good for them. It provides them with repeat customers.

“You’re for exploiting children.”

Rep. Bishop (R‑NC): I’m concerned about the children distributed across the country to homes that don’t care for them to go work in factories. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. But it’s the result of what you’ve advocated.

The New York Times recently published a report on how some immigrant teenagers are working some difficult or dangerous jobs across the country. These kids came to the United States without their parents, and the Times explains why their parents aren’t here to support them: “Parents know that they would be turned away at the border or quickly deported.”

In other words, those who banned asylum for adults traveling alone and parents traveling with their children deserve the blame for this phenomenon. There is a relationship between bans on asylum for families and the share of children who enter without their parents.

The Times also explains that many children are working because they are in debt from payments to get brought through Mexico—another problem that legal immigration would solve. The chairman slammed his gavel down rather than let me provide this information to the committee.

“You said my kids asked for it.”

Witness, mother who lost her sons to fentanyl poisoning: I hear this man from the Cato Institute say, “It’s about demand.” What I hear is “They asked for it.”… They didn’t want fentanyl.

What happened to the witness’ family is a tragedy. In fact, I said states should legalize fentanyl test strips so people who don’t want fentanyl don’t accidentally take it. Demand for fentanyl—by the U.S. dealers— would go down if their consumers would refuse to use it or buy it from them.

We must also acknowledge that there is a broader demand for illicit drugs that is relevant as well. Doctors should be able to treat opioid addiction. As I noted in my written statement, these are measures that have already proven to be effective in other countries and in states, while border crackdowns only exacerbated the problem.

“Your statistics are wrong.”

Witness Sheriff Lamb: They say that 90% are happening at the checkpoints [meaning ports of entry]. In Arizona, it’s 52:48, so half is still between the checkpoints.

You can find the relevant statistics here. In January 2023, ports of entry seized 687 pounds of fentanyl in Arizona (Tucson field office). Arizona’s Border Patrol sectors (between ports of entry) in Tucson and Yuma seized three pounds. That’s 99.6% at ports. The Sheriff might be adding in seizures from local law enforcement in all of Arizona, but that would be quite misleading because they have no way to track the method of entry except in isolated cases.

According to the sheriff’s testimony, vehicles bring in most fentanyl in his county (Pima, Arizona—more than 50 miles north of the border). As I noted in my written statement, the DEA and other law enforcement agree that fentanyl is “overwhelmingly” brought in through legal points of entry, not through illegal migration routes.

You can read my full written statement here and watch the parts of the hearing that I was allowed to participate in here