No Time to Waste to Secure the Border
By Sen. John Thune
The need to secure the border has never been clearer than in the last four years. The Biden administration’s open-border policies allowed criminals and gang members into the United States. South Dakota law enforcement traced drugs on our streets back to the southern border. And we all heard the tragic stories of Americans killed by illegal immigrants who should have never been in our country in the first place.
Like many Americans, I’m glad that President Trump wasted no time fulfilling his promise to crack down on illegal immigration and secure the border. It’s difficult to believe that some of the individuals who have been arrested were still in this country: members of violent international gangs and individuals arrested for murder, rape, kidnapping, drug trafficking, sexual crimes involving children, and human smuggling. Our communities are safer with these individuals in custody.
The chaos of the last four years was dangerous. More than 10 million individuals came across the southern border. Law enforcement officials were overwhelmed. Officers were pulled from guarding the border to process the flood of migrants. Border cities and other cities across the country struggled to deal with the influx. This chaos was an invitation to terrorists, smugglers, drug cartels, and other dangerous individuals to enter our country.
President Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, and Border Czar Tom Homan have spent their first days in office making it clear that illegal immigration will no longer be tolerated. Congress also got right to work. The first bill that we sent to President Trump’s desk, the Laken Riley Act, ensures that illegal immigrants who steal, assault a law enforcement officer, or kill or seriously injure another person are detained instead of being allowed back out on the street. We’re making progress turning things around, but there’s still much more to do.
Tom Homan recently briefed Republican senators on the administration’s progress. He also made clear that Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will need additional resources to continue the important work of securing the border and getting criminals off of our streets.
Republicans are prepared to deliver those resources. The U.S. Senate has begun the process of producing legislation that will lay the foundation for a transformational investment in border security and immigration enforcement, as well as national defense. Congress will provide resources to increase the number of ICE officers and Border Patrol agents, expand detention space, facilitate deportations of dangerous individuals, and obtain the barriers and technology that we need to secure the border.
No longer will Americans be asked to tolerate rampant illegal immigration. We will get the border under control, finish the wall, and get dangerous illegal immigrants off the streets. The American people made it clear that border security is one of their top priorities, and Republicans are working to swiftly deliver it.
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Biden brought a bi-partisan bill to congress and Thune could not get his people to even recognize it, now it is the #1 thing to save America. These politicains are hard to figure out…..where is the money is coming from?
Seems to me if it is #1 priority now, it should been a year ago also. I just wish both sides would quit doing party over country,
First, the bill was garbage and didn’t do anything to control the border. Second, how is it that Stumbles couldn’t do anything about the border without congress passing his garbage bill but President Trump has shut down the border, without congress?