Thune: Democrats Continue Following Biden’s Failed Border Blueprint

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune's remarks below (as delivered):

"Mr. President, yesterday Republicans moved to begin consideration of a budget resolution to fund law enforcement - Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - at the Department of Homeland Security.

"We have a multi-step process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America's borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies.

"And bear in mind, Mr. President, that's exactly what Democrats are trying to do here:

"You remember the cry to 'defund the police'?

"Well, it's back.

"Democrats want to defund law enforcement.

"Defund border security.

"And effectively reopen America's borders to the flood of illegal immigration and criminal activity we saw under the Biden administration.

"Mr. President, we've already seen what happens when Democrats embrace open borders.

"Almost exactly five years ago, I was at the southern border with a number of my Republican colleagues.

"And at [that] time - just two months into the Biden administration - the signs of crisis were already present.

"That March, Border Patrol apprehended more illegal immigrants than it had in a single month in 15 years.

"Nearly 19,000 unaccompanied children crossed the southern border that month.

"(And under the Biden administration, thousands of children were placed with unvetted sponsors or turned up missing or unaccounted for - or worse.)

"Mr. President, as we saw on that visit, Border Patrol was overwhelmed.

"One facility that we visited was at 16 times its allotted capacity.

"And agents were being pulled off the border to deal with the influx of immigrants, leaving border security operations understaffed.

"All of this, as I said, was just two months into the Biden administration.

"Now, Mr. President, I wish I could say that that's as bad as it got.

"But unfortunately, the situation continued to get worse.

"Over the next few years, we saw the number of illegal crossings climb to hundreds of thousands per month.

"And the Biden administration's catch-and-release policies allowed millions of those individuals to take up residence in our country.

"Numerous cities - including many blue cities far from the border, like Denver, Chicago, and Boston - were overwhelmed with the influx of migrants.

"Amid the surge of illegal immigration, the United Nations named the U.S.-Mexico border the deadliest border crossing in the world as hundreds of immigrants died making the journey through the desert and across the Rio Grande.

"Meanwhile, the cartels got rich.

"A New York Times headline in 2022 read, and I quote, 'Smuggling Migrants at the Border Now a Billion-Dollar Business.'

"And illegal drugs made their way across the border to every corner of America.

"The sheriff where I live in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, said in 2022, and I quote, 'Whatever your thoughts are on immigration, I will tell you that the fact that our southern border is not secure is allowing this poison to come into our communities at a level that we've never seen before.'

"And we all remember the tragic instances of illegal immigrants murdering American citizens.

"The lives of young women like Laken Riley were taken by illegal immigrants who came into our country during the Biden administration.

"Mr. President, we had a crisis on our hands - at the border and in our communities - from the earliest days of the Biden administration.

"And Democrats?

"Democrats just ignored it.

"It wasn't until 2024 - by no coincidence an election year - that Democrats decided it might be a good idea to at least show some interest in border security.

"Leader Schumer finally conceded that year, and I quote, 'Most people agree the status quo cannot continue. Our southern border is in desperate need of more resources.'

"That was the Democrat leader just two years ago: 'Our southern border is in desperate need of more resources.'

"Well, no more, Mr. President.

"Democrats are back to their cry to defund law enforcement.

"That's right.

"Two years ago, Leader Schumer said the southern border was in desperate need of more resources.

"Now he refuses to give any - any - resources to the southern border.

"Mr. President, I have to say, as bad as things got under President Biden, at least we had Border Patrol.

"Now, Democrats seem to think we can do without them.

"They refuse to fund Border Patrol, the very agency that is tasked with securing the southern border.

"They want to defund it.

"They refuse to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"They're apparently willing to leave our law enforcement unfunded and our border unprotected.

"Mr. President, you'd think Democrats would have learned their lesson from embracing the 'Abolish ICE' and 'Defund the Police' crowds.

"These kinds of radical positions are exactly why Americans elected Republicans in 2024.

"But if Democrats want to continue to embrace … being the party of defund the police and open borders, they can do that.

"Republicans are going to do the job that the American people elected us to do.

"And one of the most basic parts of that job is funding the government - the entire government - and securing our borders.

"And so, as I said, Republicans are moving forward with a budget resolution that will allow us to fund critical functions that Democrats refuse to support.

"Law enforcement.

"Drug interdiction.

"Border security.

"Protecting children - both our own and the unaccompanied minors who suffer human trafficking and worse under Democrats' open-border policies.

"And to prevent Democrats from deciding that they want to defund law enforcement again in September, we're going to fund these critical functions for the next three years.

"Mr. President, I would love to think that at least some Democrats would rethink their 'defund law enforcement' posture and join us to fund these priorities.

"But the party of the Biden border crisis seems still determined to opt for open borders."

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