House Republican Outlines Priorities For Next Congress

In a letter to his constituents on Monday, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said he wanted to see Congress spend more to secure the southern U.S. border.

“Without increased border security, we risk letting drug-related violence spill over the border,” Smith said. “American citizens should not have to fear for their lives on U.S. soil. If the federal government enforced its immigration laws, we could better secure the border and better protect U.S. residents.”

Smith also warned against closing the military’s detention facility for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“We should not close the [center],” he said. “Just this week, the Director of National Intelligence reported that 25 percent of released Gitmo terrorists have returned to or are suspected of returning to terrorist activities.

“And we should treat terrorists as enemy combatants, not U.S. citizens. Giving foreign terrorists constitutional rights has no legal precedent and makes it harder for prosecutors to obtain convictions. We should bring foreign terrorists to trial in military commissions at Guantanamo Bay, not in civilian courts in the U.S.”