Americans watching the events unfolding in Spain today should resist the temptation to dismiss them as Europe’s problem.
In just a matter of hours, thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta last week, overwhelming local authorities and prompting officials to plead for emergency assistance.
These events follow a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling that altered how migrants arriving by sea must be processed, fueling concerns that legal loopholes could be exploited by those seeking to enter the country illegally.
For Americans, these images are familiar.
Not that long ago, our own nation endured a historic mass migration crisis that exposed the consequences of weak border policies.
Millions of illegal aliens entered the United States under policies that limited enforcement and expanded executive parole programs, leading to the abuse of our immigration system. Communities near and far from the border experienced the consequences firsthand as public systems struggled to absorb unprecedented migration.
The Trump administration deserves credit for acting quickly to reverse course. Through aggressive executive action, it restored meaningful enforcement and empowered federal agencies to prioritize border security. Those actions have dramatically changed conditions along our southern border.
But Americans should not mistake progress for permanence.
While illegal crossings have declined, the United States has yet to achieve full operational control of the border. Vast stretches remain difficult to monitor, and law enforcement still lacks complete domain awareness in many areas. Transnational criminal organizations continue to exploit terrain and adapt their tactics wherever vulnerabilities remain.
Border security is not a finish line that we’ve crossed—it’s an ongoing mission that requires constant vigilance and sustained resources to withstand changing political winds.
The greatest mistake we could make is believing today’s border security is guaranteed tomorrow. Much of the success achieved so far rests on executive authorities that a future administration could choose to weaken, reinterpret, or reverse with the stroke of a pen. We have already lived through one administration dismantling existing enforcement policies almost overnight. There is no reason to believe it could not happen again.
That is why Congress must act.
Border security should never depend solely on the priorities of whichever president happens to occupy the Oval Office. A nation cannot build lasting security on temporary executive orders. If our immigration system can be fundamentally transformed every four or eight years, then our borders remain vulnerable.
Fortunately, Congress has an opportunity to ensure that America’s recent progress is not merely temporary.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy’s Permanent Trump Secure Border Act, H.R. 9773, would codify many of the enforcement authorities and immigration reforms currently being implemented through executive action. Rather than relying on presidential discretion alone, the legislation would establish durable statutory protections designed to ensure future administrations cannot simply reverse course through executive fiat.
The bill has already advanced through the House Judiciary Committee and now deserves consideration by the full House and Senate.
Border crises do not materialize overnight. They develop gradually, often beginning with subtle policy changes, legal decisions, or enforcement shifts that appear insignificant in isolation but collectively reshape incentives.
Spain is a reminder that no nation is immune from weak policies.
Texas isn’t off the hook either. Whoever may sit in the Oval Office, our state cannot afford to wait on Washington. As lawmakers prepare for the upcoming 90th Legislature, they should continue strengthening state and local authority to partner with federal agencies in detaining illegal aliens, and advance policies that deter illegal immigration in all corners of the Lone Star State.
Congress should seize the opportunity to act before today’s executive actions become tomorrow’s forgotten policies, and before the next border crisis reminds us, once again, that securing a nation requires more than good intentions.
It requires laws that endure.