[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 143 (Wednesday, September 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S4453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Law Enforcement

  Mr. President, now on another matter, inflation is not the only way 
the last 2 years have shown that bad policies and bad ideas have real 
consequences. One especially damaging myth is the liberal notion that 
making our country kinder means having weaker public safety, weaker 
justice for criminals, and weaker borders. This misunderstanding 
dominates today's Democratic Party.
  Across our country, Democrats have spent years--years--trying to 
defund law enforcement. Studies have proven that anti-police hostility 
changes how officers do their jobs, leading directly to more crime, 
including more murders. So liberals' nationwide anti-police PR campaign 
has literally cost people their lives.

  When liberals do let police arrest criminals, a growing cadre of far-
left prosecutors often simply declines to charge them. One liberal 
millionaire has donated more than a million dollars each to the 
campaigns of soft-on-crime district attorneys in New York, 
Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
  The Los Angeles DA has presided over a 69-percent increase in 
shootings and a 40-percent spike in car thefts. Chicago's liberal DA 
``appeared to be simply dropping nearly 30 percent of all felony cases, 
including''--listen to this--``alleged murders.'' Philadelphia's 
liberal DA has presided over an 85-percent spike in shootings and a 
huge increase in murders since he took over.
  In the name of equity or compassion, these people are announcing they 
will not prosecute entire categories of crimes. No wonder American 
cities are becoming more dangerous by the day.
  A couple years back, a former DA from outside Boston published a list 
of crimes she would not prosecute: shoplifting, breaking and entering, 
resisting arrest, and, even in the middle of the opioid crisis, 
possession with intent to distribute. As a reward, Washington Democrats 
made Rachel Rollins the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts. She got a 
promotion.
  Just last month, Senator Rubio put forward an amendment to increase 
funding for cops and keeping violent criminals behind bars. Democrats 
blocked it.
  Every Senate Democrat has also voted multiple times to strip Customs 
and Border Protection of the only remaining emergency authorities to 
contend with the historic surge in illegal immigration unfolding on 
their watch. Of course, the open-door policies our colleagues support 
in office are rooted in open-border rhetoric that they have embraced 
literally for years.
  On the campaign trail, then-Candidate Biden himself said, ``You want 
to flee . . . you should come.'' So on President Biden's watch, illegal 
immigrants flocked--literally flocked--to the border, some carrying his 
campaign's flags and T-shirts.
  There is an outright security crisis at our southern border. We are 
in the middle of the most illegal immigration arrests in more than two 
decades. This year, just January to August, Border Patrol says they 
have already run into nearly double the number of known criminals this 
fiscal year as they saw in the entire year--entire year--before 
President Biden took office and huge, huge upticks of deadly drugs like 
fentanyl.
  But Democrats aren't just ignoring a security crisis; it is a 
humanitarian crisis as well. Waves of unaccompanied children have 
stretched Border Patrol's facilities to the limit. Under incompetent 
leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services has had to 
scramble to help ensure the safety of children in its custody.
  There is nothing--nothing--compassionate about tolerating or even 
encouraging anarchy down at the border, violence in our streets, and a 
steady erosion of public safety. It is neither fair, nor is it 
compassionate, not to any Americans, least of all to the vulnerable 
people Democrats say--say--they are helping.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.