[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 172 (Thursday, October 19, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5095-S5096]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BORDER SECURITY
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, yesterday, I came down to the floor to
discuss the importance of military preparedness to our national
security. The most basic requirement of national security is a strong
military, but it is not the only requirement. Maintaining our Nation's
strength and our ability to deter threats and discourage our enemies
from tangling with us also involves things like a strong economy,
energy security, and border security.
And, today, I want to spend a few minutes talking about border
security. Border security is an essential part of
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keeping our Nation secure. Porous borders are an invitation to
criminals, terrorists, and other dangerous individuals. And let us be
very clear: There are dangerous individuals out there right now who
would like to enter and harm our country. Porous borders are an
invitation to those types of individuals.
Since the beginning of the month, four Iranians considered to be
``special interest aliens''--individuals, that is, who may pose a
threat to the United States--have been apprehended at the southern
border in Texas. Now, all told, thousands of special interest aliens--a
number of them from Middle Eastern countries--have been apprehended at
our southern border in the past 2 years.
During fiscal year 2023, 151 individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist
were apprehended attempting to illegally cross our southern border--
151. As a recent news story noted, ``that figure is more than the total
of the previous six . . . years combined.''
That same story also notes:
In the first two weeks of the fiscal year, the CBP sources
told Fox News that agents had apprehended more than 30
Iranians, nearly 60 Syrians, 35 Pakistanis, more than 100
Russians, 285 Afghans and nearly 2,000 Chinese migrants at
the southern border.
``[M]ore than 30 Iranians, nearly 60 Syrians, 35 Pakistanis, more
than 100 Russians, 285 Afghans and nearly 2,000 Chinese migrants at the
southern border''--now, it is likely that many of those individuals are
simply in search of the promise the United States offers of a better
life. But it is also entirely possible that some of these individuals--
some of them from intensely hostile countries like Iran--had more
malign intentions. And while Customs and Border Protection apprehended
the individuals I have mentioned so far, it is not only possible, but
likely, that similarly concerning individuals have entered our country
undetected.
Since President Biden took office, there have been more than 1.5
million known ``got-aways'' at the southern borders. Those are
individuals that Border Patrol saw but was unable to apprehend. And we
can only imagine the number of unknown ``got-aways'' who have sneaked
into the country. Those are people they didn't see. They have no idea.
How many of those individuals are from hostile countries or are on
the Terrorist Watchlist or are members of cartels that target literally
every State in the Union and are fueling the fentanyl epidemic? The
truth of the matter is we just don't know, but it is a good bet that,
among the ``got-aways'' were dangerous individuals who should not be
entering our country.
Now, I don't need to tell anyone that the situation at our southern
border right now is disastrous. All signs point to fiscal year 2023
being the third recordbreaking year of attempted illegal crossings at
the southern border under the Biden administration's watch. The number
of attempted illegal crossings at the southern border last month alone
has been estimated to be somewhere in the range of 270,000 people,
which would make it the highest monthly number ever recorded.
Customs and Border Protection is overstretched--to put it mildly--and
has been for pretty much the entirety of the Biden administration. We
could scarcely be sending a more welcoming signal to criminals,
terrorists, and other dangerous individuals if we put out a welcome
mat. Why wouldn't dangerous individuals like this take advantage of the
chaos at the border to slip into our country undetected?
The Director of the FBI recently warned of copycat attacks in the
United States after Hamas's deadly attack on Israel, and a September
threat assessment from the Department of Homeland Security noted:
Terrorist and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow
[of migration] and increasingly complex security environment
to enter the United States.
If we want to keep our country secure, we are going to have to get
the situation at our southern border under control now. I am glad that
President Biden has finally conceded that a border wall is part of the
solution, but it must be backed up with the willingness to fully
enforce our laws.
In the coming weeks, I expect that we are going to take up a
supplemental spending bill to address support for our allies and to
provide additional funding that our military may need. I hope--and will
work to ensure--that that legislation also includes measures to help
secure our southern border.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: If we don't get
national security right, the rest is conversation. And securing our
border is an indispensable part of national security.
The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 should be all the
reminder we need of the importance of being constantly on guard against
those who would seek to ruin our Nation and to do us harm.
And I hope that, in the wake of this attack, President Biden and
congressional Democrats will join Republicans to make both
strengthening our military and securing our border a priority.
I yield the floor.
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.
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