Johnson entered the U.S. Air Force in 1973, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after a distinguished military career of more than 26 years. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Troy University in Troy, Alabama in 1979, and he earned his Master’s Degree from Georgia Tech in 1984. During his tenure in the U.S. Air Force, Johnson was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Squadron Officers School, and Air Command & Staff College. Bill is also a proud recipient of the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. As Director of the Air Force’s Chief Information Officer Staff at U.S. Special Operations Command, Johnson worked directly with senior congressional and Secretary of Defense representatives, as well as top leaders within the various U.S. intelligence communities, to ensure America’s Special Operations forces were adequately equipped to carry out critical national security missions.
America was built on a system of strong immigration. We have always benefited from legal immigrants, and we will continue to do so. In fact, we must. However, we need a merit-based immigration system that, first and foremost, strengthens our national security and protects the jobs of American citizens. In other words, we need to be able to pick and choose the people we allow to come into out country and seek citizenship. We need workers in virtually all sectors, including scientists, physicians, technologists, agricultural, seasonal, etc. But, we need to be able to choose the ones we want, and we need them to come here legally.
In 2019, I traveled to the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, where I had the pleasure of meeting with the men and women of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This eye-opening trip confirmed two things that I already believed: first, America is facing an unprecedented immigration and humanitarian crisis at our southern border; and, second, we need a wall to help stop it.
As the representative for Eastern and Southeastern Ohio, I believe illegal immigration threatens our national security and the safety of the American people, which is why I wholeheartedly support strengthening our border security and closing dangerous immigration loopholes. I also support President Trump's proclamation of a national emergency on the Mexican border as well as the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that allows the Trump Administration to redirect $2.5 billion in money approved by Congress for the Pentagon to help build the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Without control of our borders, our sovereignty is weakened. Without secure borders criminals, terrorists, drug dealers, and human traffickers flow into communities all across America. At a very basic level: as Americans, we need to know who’s here. If there are bad actors exploiting and overwhelming our border, it puts the safety of the American people at risk. I will continue supporting efforts, whether Republican ideas or Democratic ideas, to strengthen our border security. I will also continue advocating and supporting a legal immigration system that works for us, one that has defined our American success story for generations.