[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

[[Page S5096]]

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.

                          ____________________