[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 62 (Thursday, April 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Border Security

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, here is a quote from Candidate 
Biden's campaign website in 2020:

       The U.S. has a right and a duty to secure our borders and 
     protect our people against threats.

  Well, that was then; this is now.
  The Biden administration's weak border policies set a new record in 
2021. Customs and Border Protection had to make--listen to this--2 
million--2 million--arrests, and it doesn't appear that that new record 
will last long; 2022 is already trending even worse.
  CBP is currently seeing about 7,000 encounters every single day, and 
they fear they could see as many as 18,000 per day--a truly staggering 
figure.
  To put this in perspective, President Obama's former DHS Secretary 
Jeh Johnson has reflected that a daily count above 1,000--above 1,000--
was ``a relatively bad number, and I was gonna be in a bad mood the 
whole day,'' reflecting back on his experience.
  Now we are at seven times that figure and still climbing. It is a 
President's responsibility to fix this crisis, but this President is 
taking major steps to make it even worse.
  The Biden administration has announced they will cancel legal 
authorities that have helped CBP contend with these massive surges. A 
group of States led by Arizona have explained in court that title 42 is 
``the only safety valve preventing this Administration's disastrous 
border policies from devolving into an unmitigated catastrophe.''
  The administration's attempts to explain why they are caving to the 
far left and throwing our borders open make no sense whatsoever. The 
White House keeps claiming this is a public health decision; they 
cannot keep title 42--leading you to ask, why?
  Democrats don't act like they think COVID is finished. They give 
speeches daily about the need for more funding. They say we should be 
sending health assistance around the rest of the world. The only place 
on the planet where Democrats say COVID is over apparently is at our 
southern border.
  A growing number of House and Senate Democrats have expressed concern 
and anger over President Biden's awful decision. But press releases are 
one thing. What matters is how people vote.
  Senate Democrats have taken every meaningful opportunity to back the 
administration's border policies and vote down Republican efforts to 
improve security. Their votes have helped create this mess. We will see 
if they finally change course and begin voting to help Republicans end 
the crisis instead.