By Chris Ekstrom, Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, District 13

What’s the first duty of the Federal government? To protect American citizens. But for decades, politicians in Washington, from both parties, have failed us. In Texas alone, 194,000 illegal immigrants committed over 299,000 criminal offenses from 2011-2019. That’s a staggering number by any account. Even when the GOP took both houses of Congress after Trump’s win in 2016, nothing much happened. That’s because do-nothing Republicans sold out their citizen constituents once again, and refused to give the President his number one campaign priority—a border wall. America voted for it, but they wouldn’t.

Which brings us to Congressman Thornberry. He claims that President Trump’s new effort to build the wall is unconstitutional and threatened congressional action against our president. Since the Congress won’t fund a border wall, Trump is borrowing funds from long-term Navy ship-building projects. President Trump is stepping in to do what is required to protect Americans and I applaud him for it. The President rightly sees that defending our own borders comes first, even before nation-building projects in Iraq or Libya. We need Republicans in Congress who vote like Republicans, Americans, and Texans.

I’m excited to join my neighbors in District 13 to head to the polls this week but before we do an important question must be asked. Who of the 15 candidates in the race to replace Mac Thornberry has the record or tenacity to stand up for what’s right in Congress? As we’ve seen, taking shots at the President on your way out is easy but having the courage to defy the swamp isn’t. The next class of congressional leaders needs to be willing to sacrifice their job or path to a chairmanship to do the right thing. That includes fighting tooth and nail to build the wall and complete it. I’m proud that conservatives are rallying my campaign not because I have been a part of the system for decades, but because I’m going to fundamentally reform Washington and stand with this president regardless of the pressure that comes with it.

A border wall is the only tool the president has left, with dozens of liberal cities offering “sanctuary” to illegal aliens, including violent criminals. The Democrats whom establishment Republicans seem eager to please? They’d like to abolish ICE. To remove voter-ID requirements that stop some illegal aliens from actually voting and turning elections. To enroll millions who simply walk across our border on the Medicaid you and I fund to help distressed Americans.

We must defend our country from a very real invasion, which fills our emergency wards, schools, and welfare rolls with newcomers who never paid, who as soon as they win citizenship vote to tax our savings and take our freedoms. Before you head to the polls just ask yourself which candidate do you trust to stand up to the special interests and support President Trump to build the wall?