You do not have a country if you do not control your borders. I firmly believe it is critical that we have secure borders, enforce our immigration laws, and give law enforcement the resources they need to stop cartels, human traffickers, and the flow of lethal drugs into our communities.

Neglect for these key principles created a humanitarian crisis under the four-years of the Biden Administration. Opening the border to over 11 million unvetted illegal border crossings resulted in thousands of recorded deaths and fueled a human and drug smuggling crime ring that flew in the face of America’s heritage for: safety and the opportunity for a better life. We can enforce our laws and secure the border while still treating people with dignity and compassion.

But securing the border is only part of the problem. Our legal immigration system has been broken for decades. It is too complicated, too slow, and often disconnected from the immediate and long-term needs of our economy. We need to make it easier to come to the United States–the right way–while maintaining strong security standards.

That is particularly important for Utah. Our growing economy depends on workers across agriculture, construction, hospitality, technology, and other industries, and our needs are not always the same as those of other states. I have supported initiatives like the State-Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act, that would give states more flexibility to meet their workforce needs through legal immigration rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all system designed in Washington, which often creates more problems than it solves.

Utah has a long history of welcoming people who come here to work, raise families, and contribute to their communities. There is no contradiction between that tradition and strong border security. We can be a welcoming country while prioritizing Americans and still expecting people to follow the law.