“Immigrations and Customs Enforcement reports that there have been over 100,000 deportations in 80 days. That is progress. That is promises kept. Yet the fight is just beginning. ”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor about the progress President Trump is making to secure the border. Senator Barrasso also discussed the Senate Republican agenda that will help boost the Trump administration’s border security efforts.
Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:
“Remember this headline? ‘Migrant crossings soar to near-record levels.’ That was CBS News on September 21, 2024 – about six weeks prior to the election. Record-high border crossings were the reality in Joe Biden’s final months in the White House. Back then, about 7,000 illegal immigrants flooded across the southern border every single day. From San Diego, California, to Sheridan, Wyoming, every city in America was a border city. Communities were overrun and overwhelmed.
“Fast forward to today. With President Trump in charge, things have changed. Last month, illegal crossings dropped to only 7,000 for the entire month. That’s the lowest monthly total in decades. We went from 7,000 each day under Joe Biden to 7,000 for the entire month of March. This turnaround is not luck. It’s leadership. And there’s a big difference.
“Joe Biden recklessly dismantled our border security. In his first 100 days, he signed 94 executive actions that threw open our borders. President Trump has restored decisive enforcement in his first 100 days. Illegal border crossings dropped by 94 percent.
“The New York Post hailed it as ‘a stunning new low’ in border crossings. ABC News said, ‘Southwest border crossings for March ‘lowest in history.’ The Washington Post wondered, ‘What happened to the border crisis?’ Let me tell you what happened. This is what happens when a president stops coddling criminals. This is what happens when a president starts enforcing the law.
“The contrast is undeniable. The previous administration surrendered. This current administration delivered what the American people wanted. Cartel killers, drug dealers, murderers, and rapists are getting hauled in and thrown out by the thousands. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement reports that there have been over 100,000 deportations in 80 days. That is progress. That is promises kept.
“Yet the fight is just beginning. Last week, a college student was killed by an illegal immigrant in a hit-and-run. The student’s name is Nate Baker. Nate attended the University of South Carolina. He had just turned 21 years-old two weeks before.
“Nate’s death was preventable. Nate’s killer has been identified by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2018. Nate’s killer is one of more than 600,000 illegal immigrant criminals still in our country. Those are the very illegal immigrants President Trump and his team are deporting.
“The deaths like Nate’s, the deaths from drug overdoses, the families who have lost loved ones – there are real human costs to American citizens as a result of open borders.
“Open borders aren’t compassionate, as Democrat after Democrat continues to claim. They’re catastrophic. Grieving families like Nate’s deserve justice, not half-measures. Public safety demands we deport illegal immigrant criminals, not coddle them. That is why Senate Republicans have taken action.
“On Saturday, we passed a budget roadmap for a safer, more prosperous nation. It includes $175 billion in border funding. It puts us on a path to finish the wall. It boosts Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement staffing. It provides for greater detention capacity for the lawbreakers that Joe Biden openly invited into our country.
“President Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, and Border Czar Tom Homan say this budget is the muscle they need to finish the job. I agree with them. They’re right. When it came to the floor, this very floor, Senate Democrats voted unanimously against border security. One after another, as their names were called, voted No. They weren’t going to secure the border. They weren’t interested. They wanted to leave it wide open and continue to invite in the criminal cartels and the drug dealers.
“For four years, Senate Democrats welcomed open borders policies that left our communities vulnerable. And Democrats in this body last week still support those reckless, irresponsible policies of open borders. Republicans offered solutions. Democrats offered resistance. Americans saw the difference last November, and they voted that way. Voters chose strength and security over crime and chaos. It’s what the American people want. They want safe communities.
“The numbers speak for themselves. 7,000 illegal immigrants a day under Joe Biden last year to 7,000 a month now. It is a consequential difference. It’s a difference that will save American lives.”
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