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Republican (1854-present)

James Lankford

Before his service in Congress, James served students and families for more than 20 years in ministry, including 15 years as the Director of Student Ministry for the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma and Director of the Falls Creek Youth Camp, the largest youth camp in the United States, with more than 51,000 individuals attending each summer.

James and his staff enjoy serving people from all backgrounds across Oklahoma. As Ranking Member of the Government Operations and Border Management  Subcommittee, which covers border security, management, and operations; regulatory reform; and the federal workforce. He demands we have a secure, more fiscally responsible, and transparent federal government, and our nation remains the world leader. He believes that the federal government has an important role in our nation, but empowered families, individual people, and private businesses grow our economy and pass down our values.

Immigration and Border Security

  • Senator Lankford serves on the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, which have jurisdiction for oversight and funding of the Department of Homeland Security, the primary border security agency in the US government.
  • Senator Lankford remains actively involved in bipartisan conversations and negotiations surrounding proposals to repair the faulty immigration and broken border security policies in our country. 

     

  • Immigration:
    • On September 5, 2017, President Trump rescinded the 2012 Obama Administration initiative Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). While he agreed that DACA recipients should receive protection, it is inappropriate for any president to create the program through executive action. 
    • In February 2018, before DACA was set to expire, the Senate opened the floor for proposals to debate and solve our nation's immigration issues, including a solution for the DACA-eligible population. 
    • When President Trump rescinded the program, he set the effective end date to be March 5, 2018, which gave Congress six months to provide legislative permanency for these individuals and time to include provisions to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future. 
    • Last Congress, several groups of Senators proposed a variety of plans to provide a permanent solution for DACA recipients. The plan Senator Lankford supported, included the necessary reforms in the White House framework and could have received enough votes to also pass the House. Each of the four bills debated in the Senate received bipartisan support, but none of the bills received the 60 votes needed to proceed to a final vote.  
    • The SECURE and SUCCEED Act would have appropriated $25 billion for a variety of border and entry security; provided necessary methods of enforcement, such as the permanent authorization of the voluntary electronic employment verification system (E-Verify) and the enactment of Kate's law; and would have provided an opportunity for 1.8 million DACA-eligible immigrants to earn naturalization in 10 to 12 years.
    • Under DACA, recipients were not granted legal immigrant status, were not put on a pathway to citizenship, and did not have the right to vote in our elections. Additionally, they are barred from receiving any federal public benefits, which would continue while the individual has conditional permanent residency.
    • On January 8, 2019, Senator Lankford spoke on the Senate floor for the 11th time since he began serving in the Senate about the need to finally solve our immigration issues. 
    • In addition to the problems mentioned above, the nation is facing a migrant crisis because individuals are able to take advantage of our country’s broken asylum system to gain access into the country.
    • Individuals and family units at our borders and ports of entry will often claim asylum, even if they don’t have a valid case. In fact, at least half who make a credible fear claim do not actually apply for asylum.
    • Only about 12 of every 100 credible fear claims result in a grant of asylum by an immigration judge.
    • However, individuals are able to disappear into the interior of the United States because they are released while waiting for their case to be heard due to a lack of detention space and court rulings that prohibit families from being detained together while waiting.
    • These precedents also encourages adults to smuggle children to the border who have no familial relation to them.
    • There are more than two million individuals currently living in the country who have made asylum claims. While seeking asylum is legal and should be encouraged for individuals who truly need it, our broken laws have created a years-long backlog, making it more difficult for genuine asylum seekers and easier for individuals taking advantage of the system.
    • On May 16, the President announced his intention to address legal immigration reform and enhanced border security. While specific details of the plan have not yet been released, Senator Lankford looks forward to continuing to work with the administration to develop immigration policies that best fit the economic and security needs of our nation.

       

  • Border security:
    • Every nation has the right to secure its borders and control its entry process for safety and economic development.
    • Our southern border is full of diverse terrain including mountains, desert, and the Rio Grande River. 
    • Senator Lankford does not believe a 2,000-mile fence alone is the best and most cost-effective solution. Technology like tethered drones, seismic sensors, and vehicle barriers are very effective in many areas of the desert Southwest.
    • Historically, border security has always been bipartisan. In 2006, Congress passed the Secure Fences Act, and President Obama consistently took steps during his presidency to add infrastructure at the border for security. However, recently border security has become highly partisan.
    • Senator Lankford believes all people are made in God's image and deserve dignity and respect. However, it is reasonable to expect those entering and living within our borders to obey the laws of our nation. 
    • In the most recent omnibus bill, Congress appropriated almost $1.4 billion specifically for fencing at the southern border because although we already have more than 700 miles of fencing, some of it is old and ineffective. Border agents continue to emphasize that the number of illegal immigrant entries in the new or replaced fencing areas has significantly decreased.
    • In addition to that funding, the President declared a national emergency and his intent to use funds from other accounts and agencies to address the crisis at the border. Senator Lankford supported the President’s declaration and spoke about his support for the declaration on the Senate floor.  
    • Moreover, in 2018, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 127,000 immigrants with criminal convictions and 5,000 gang members. ICE was able to rescue more than 500 human trafficking victims and 1,000 victims of child exploitation. Additionally, ICE seized nearly 500 tons of narcotics and enough fentanyl to kill more than 537 million people.
    • Already this year (through April 2019), Customs and Border Protection has apprehended 460,294unaccompanied minor children, family units, and single adults at the southern border attempting to cross outside a port of entry.
    • Senator Lankford also reintroduced the bipartisan Responsibility for Unaccompanied Minors Act,which requires HHS to keep better track of and care for unaccompanied alien children (UACs). This measure, which was first introduced in September 2018, will help both ensure the children’s safety and ensure they appear at their immigration court proceedings. A summary of the bill is here and the bill text is here.
    • It is past time for Congress to solve these issues. Senator Lankford remains engaged directly with the White House and members on both sides of the aisle to try to find a resolution to these and other issues in immigration