“For more than two months, Republicans negotiated in good faith to fully fund critical law enforcement agencies. Republicans are done negotiating. We are moving forward alone. Republicans are going to fund ICE and Border Patrol without a single Democrat vote. We are not going to concede a single demand to radical Senate Democrats.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) today spoke about how Senate Republicans will vote this week to fully fund ICE and Border Patrol through reconciliation – without any Democrat votes.
Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:
“The United States Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have a complex and essential mission. They arrest drug traffickers. They arrest human traffickers. They arrest terror suspects. They save exploited children. And they secure our border. Their work is critical to our national security.
“Not long ago, Democrats agreed. In 2019, Senator Schumer told NBC News that, ‘ICE does some functions that are very much needed.’ Now, Senator Schumer is leading the charge to abolish ICE and to defund the Border Patrol. That’s because today Democrats care more about protecting illegal immigrant criminals than protecting law abiding American citizens.
“For more than two months, Republicans negotiated in good faith to fully fund critical law enforcement agencies. Republicans are done negotiating. We are moving forward alone. Republicans are going to fund ICE and Border Patrol without a single Democrat vote. We are not going to concede a single demand to radical Senate Democrats.
“The Senate will consider a budget resolution this week. Our resolution is targeted and focused. Here is what it does. First, it fully funds and fully supports the men and women of ICE and Border Patrol. Second, it funds ICE and Border Patrol for the next three years. Third, it gives them more resources than ever before. ICE receives more money to protect our communities. Border Patrol receives more money to secure our borders.
“Increased funding means more enforcement. It means more illegal immigrant criminals will be deported. It means more investigations into the drug cartels and human traffickers. It means our communities are safer. It’s just common sense.
“Consider the commonsense policy changes that Democrats have refused to accept. $20 million to buy body cameras for agents. Democrats voted no. More oversight of ICE spending. Democrats voted no. More money for deescalation training. Democrats voted no.
“The Department of Homeland Security has a new leader. It’s Markwayne Mullin. At his confirmation hearing, now-Secretary Mullin committed to working with Democrats on commonsense reforms to immigration enforcement. Almost every Democrat still voted against his confirmation. Why? Because Democrats don’t want to reform ICE. They want to abolish ICE. They want to abolish Border Patrol. They want to defund law enforcement in America.
“Here’s what the Democrats are still demanding. Senate Democrats want to ban ICE agents from wearing masks. Masks help protect agents and their families from being doxed by gangs of radical thugs. We know that open-border groups are publishing the names and home addresses of agents online. These dangerous actions are one more reason that attacks on ICE agents are rising dramatically.
“These open border Democrats have a long-term goal. Their goal is to make life so frightening for the families of ICE and Border Patrol agents that they quit their jobs. The Democrat long-term goal is to undermine the hiring of agents and shut it down by attrition.
“Today, Republicans are moving to fund law enforcement. To my Democrat colleagues, you have lost your war on law enforcement. You failed to turn America into one big sanctuary country. You have failed to take America backwards to the days of Democrat open borders.
“More than 10 million illegal immigrants flooded into our country on Democrats’ watch. Under Republican leadership, zero illegal immigrants are being released into the country.
“Republicans want ICE and Border Patrol to do their job. Republicans want law enforcement to be funded, and American citizens to be safe. Americans deserve safety and security. This week, Republicans are delivering it.”
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