[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 2, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2107-S2108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Border Security

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, for the last 4 years, when Joe Biden was 
President, the American people knew that the southern border had been 
thrown wide open. So many of the television stories were done at the 
southern border.
  So what has happened now with the criminal cartels? The criminal 
cartels were watching closely. They knew that Joe Biden hadn't just 
thrown up the southern border, he had also thrown open the northern 
border. The criminal cartels noticed, and they took advantage.
  There are unique threats to the United States at our northern border. 
President Trump is taking the bold, decisive, swift action that is 
necessary to secure that border as well. His actions are working, and 
he is not going to let up.
  Canada is making changes. They have agreed to deploy to the border 
more technology--that is helpful; more law enforcement officers--that 
is helpful. Canada also created their first-ever national fentanyl 
czar. That is helping.
  Democrats have said in the past that they want to see the northern 
border secured. They sure aren't acting like that today. Let's take a 
look at what some of the Democrats have said in the past.
  Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire said in March:

       Strengthening security of our northern border is vital to 
     keeping both New Hampshire and our country safe.

  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said in September that Border 
Patrol agents at the northern border are ``struggling to address a 
dramatic increase'' in illegal border crossings.
  Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a member of the Democrat 
leadership, called for, in January of 2022, an ``expansion of Federal 
anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling efforts'' on the northern border.
  Now, today, however, Democrats are going to bring to the floor a 
resolution to throw out the commonsense action that a number of them 
had previously called for to secure the northern border. They want to 
get rid of that.
  The message is clear: Democrats remain the party of open borders. 
They lost an election being the party of open borders and high prices. 
Today, they want to become once again known as the party of open 
borders.
  The largest, longest land border in the world is the border between 
the United States and Canada. That northern border is twice as long as 
our southern border with Mexico, and so much of that northern border, 
as the Presiding Officer knows, is unguarded. The northern border 
stretches across 13 States--New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New 
Hampshire--and then you get out west. Vast areas.
  Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel testified before 
Congress last week. What did he say? Well, he spoke about the threats 
facing our country today, and he issued a stark warning. He said:

       Known and suspected terrorists are flowing in through our 
     northern border more [now] than they are at the southern 
     border.

  These are the facts. The northern border is now a hotspot for terror 
suspects, for drug cartels.
  In the Biden administration, we would come to the floor and talk 
about how many terror suspects were captured while coming across the 
southern border. The number is astonishing now at the northern border. 
The cartels got the message.
  President Trump is doing what he promised to do at the southern 
border--secure the southern border--so they are coming up to the 
northern border, with 143 terror suspects already caught this year at 
our northern border by Border Patrol agents. Why so many? Because that 
is where they are coming from now. They realize they have no chance at 
the southern border, so now the assault is coming at the northern 
border. If that is how many we have captured, how many have we not? 
This is a threat to the safety of our communities.
  The Mexican cartels also have a growing presence at the northern 
border. You would think the Mexican cartels--that their presence would 
be at the southern border, adjacent to Mexico, but I am telling you the 
Mexican cartels now have a greater presence at our northern border, 
which would be a surprise to most people.
  CBS recently interviewed a drug smuggler, a smuggler who works for a 
major Mexican cartel. That smuggler revealed a chilling fact. He said 
that the cartel is moving pounds and pounds and pounds of fentanyl 
across our northern border each and every month.
  Human traffickers are also taking advantage of our open northern 
border. In 2024, in just 1 sector, more than 19,000 people crossed into 
our country illegally. There have been more illegal crossings in one 
sector in 1 year than in the previous 17 years combined. We are talking 
about the border between the United States and Canada.

[[Page S2108]]

  The explosion of drug smuggling and human trafficking is hurting our 
American communities, and the impacts are felt way beyond the border. 
Fentanyl overdose deaths are the leading cause of death in young 
adults. Illegal immigration strains our communities, it strains our 
schools, and it strains our hospitals.
  President Trump and Republicans are determined--determined--to stop 
this surge at our borders, both the northern border and the southern 
border, because this is a life-and-death issue for the American public.
  Canada needs to continue to work closely with us to intercept deadly 
drugs and terror suspects. The security of both of our nations depends 
upon it. The best way to protect our communities is to secure our 
borders.
  Now, this is not what Senator Kaine's resolution does. The resolution 
that the Democrats are going to bring to the floor today and that 
probably every one of them is going to vote for is going to undermine 
the work that the United States and Canada are doing to secure the 
northern border.
  Fortunately, for the safety of the American people, the House of 
Representatives will not take up this legislation even if it passes the 
Senate, and it is never going to make it to President Trump's desk.
  Senate Republicans are moving forward this week on major legislation 
that includes strong border provisions, protecting the border. This 
legislation will give the Border Patrol agents the tools they need to 
secure the border and deport criminal illegal immigrants--both northern 
and southern.
  Republicans are out there, focused, working every day to make our 
communities safer. Democrats are not. They continue to be the party of 
open borders. Republicans are focusing on results, and the results 
speak for themselves.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Britt). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The Senator from Tennessee.