“President Trump and Republicans are ending the chaos, securing the border in record time, and getting America back on track […] We didn’t just secure the border for today. We secured it for the future. In July, Republicans passed and President Trump signed into law the largest border security investment in American history.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor about how Republicans and President Donald J. Trump are strengthening border security and fixing the damage caused by Joe Biden’s open-border disaster.
Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:
“Twenty-year-old Sarah Beckstrom should have been home in West Virginia celebrating Thanksgiving with her family. Instead, she was murdered one day before Thanksgiving. Her killer is an Afghan national – someone Joe Biden flew into this country without proper vetting. Sarah served in the West Virginia National Guard. She wore the uniform of the United States Army. She was murdered on American soil by someone who never should have been here. That is the tragic cost of Joe Biden’s open border policies. It’s also a sign of his national security weakness.
“For four years, Joe Biden and pro-crime Democrats turned our border into a New York City subway turnstile. No fare enforced. Just hop on over. It was routine for ten thousand illegal immigrants to be released into our country every day. Criminals, gang members, drug traffickers, terrorists – they all got waved in. For these failed policies, Americans paid the price. Laken Riley in Georgia. Rachel Morin in Maryland. Many others.
“Today, President Trump and Republicans are ending the chaos, securing the border in record time, and getting America back on track. We acted fast. We started with the Laken Riley Act. It was the first piece of legislation President Trump signed into law. It mandates that illegal immigrant criminals be detained and removed.
“Republicans ended catch and release. We stopped the illegal invasion of our country. For the past six months, zero illegal immigrants have been released into our country. Under Joe Biden, it was often 10,000 a day. For the first time in 17 years, the backlog of immigration cases is going down. Immigration judges can finally do their job. Open-border, rubber-stamp judges are gone. Interior enforcement is making our communities safer. 70 percent of ICE arrests are illegal immigrant criminals. These are individuals charged with or convicted of crimes in America.
“During the week of Thanksgiving, ICE worked overtime. They arrested a convicted murderer in California, a convicted rapist in Tennessee, and a convicted drug trafficker in Delaware. Every one of these arrests makes America safer. These criminals and many more are off our streets because Republicans acted.
“We didn’t just secure the border for today. We secured it for the future. In July, Republicans passed and President Trump signed into law the largest border security investment in American history. One hundred and seventy billion dollars. This law finishes the Wall. It provides $75 billion for ICE. It gives our agents the resources they need to continue to deport illegal immigrant criminals. Our law helps hire, train, and retain Border Patrol agents. It even gives these agents a bonus. Republicans made a generational investment in American border security. Every Democrat in the Senate voted against it. Republicans voted to deport illegal immigrant criminals. Democrats voted to keep them in our communities. Republicans voted to secure the border. Democrats voted to keep it open. Republicans voted to hire Border Patrol agents. Democrats voted for free healthcare for illegal immigrants.
“The danger from Joe Biden’s open border policies remains serious. Millions of illegal immigrants are still here. Among them are criminals, cartel members, drug dealers, and terror suspects. We’re tracking them down and sending them home.
“The damage Democrats inflicted on our country runs deeper than most Americans realize. Look at the situation in Minnesota. This week, The New York Times reported that immigrants from Somalia living in Minnesota defrauded American taxpayers out of one billion dollars. Investigators from the magazine City Journal found where the stolen money went. According to their reporting, ‘The largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer.’ Al-Shabaab is a terrorist organization. They’re affiliated with Al-Qaeda. American taxpayers were funding them and didn’t even know it.
“Here’s how the scheme worked. Fraudsters created fake companies that exist only on paper. They billed the government for services never provided or enrolled children in programs they don’t need. Then, they funneled stolen money out of the country. Some went to luxury cars and real estate. Some went directly to Al-Shabaab. This was organized, systemic theft. It went on for years under Democrat leadership. It exploded under Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Tim Walz. No one stopped it until President Trump was elected.
“In June, President Trump appointed Joe Thompson as the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota. Thompson immediately began bringing charges. So far, dozens of defendants have been charged. This is what Thomspon discovered. He said, ‘What we see are schemes stacked upon schemes, draining resources meant for those in need.’ ‘The depth of the fraud,’ he added, ‘takes my breath away.’ It should take away the breath of every American.
“It does not take away the breath of Governor Tim Walz. On Sunday, Governor Tim Walz appeared on Meet the Press. Instead of expressing outrage, he made excuses. Instead of condemning the fraud, he claimed the real problem is President Trump. Walz said we need to be ‘careful’ about how we talk. Think about that. American tax dollars are funding terrorism, and Democrats wants us to be careful about our tone. Here’s what Walz won’t tell you. Many of those charged have close ties to Minnesota Democrats – including Socialist Squad member Representative Ilhan Omar. That’s why Democrats want to sweep it under the rug. When Democrats prioritize open borders, we get waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption. Because President Trump won, we’re bringing these criminals to justice.
“According to the latest Harvard-Harris poll, eight in ten Americans support deporting illegal immigrant criminals. That includes seven in ten Democrats. Three in four Americans want the government to eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption. Seven in ten Americans also support closing the border with enhanced security.
“This is not complicated. Americans oppose illegal immigration. They support border security. They want criminal illegal immigrants removed. Republicans work for the American people – not the open-border activists on the other side of the aisle. American deserve secure borders and safe communities. That’s what Republicans are delivering. We are securing American borders. We are protecting American families. We are making America safer.”
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