[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 76 (Thursday, April 30, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S2144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, we are a Nation of immigrants, but we are 
also a Nation of laws. That is a commonsense statement and one on which 
Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree. But, lately, 
Democrats have proved that they don't really think we are a Nation of 
laws. In fact, they don't really seem to care whether some of our laws, 
particularly laws dealing with border security and illegal immigration, 
get enforced at all.
  And they are even trying to defund the very Agencies that enforce 
those laws. That is right: no funding for Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement; no funding for Border Patrol. This is what passes for a 
reasonable proposal in the Democrat Party today.
  Democrats apparently think it is reasonable to have nobody patrolling 
the southern border. They think it is reasonable to let criminal 
illegal immigrants continue living freely in our country. If that is 
the Democrats' position, I guess it just proves how far to the left 
their party has moved.
  While our Democrat colleagues try to appeal to the ``defund the 
police'' crowd, Republicans are doing our job. Last week, Senate 
Republicans moved forward to begin a process that will allow us to fund 
Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement without--
without--Democrats.
  And in order to prevent Democrats from trying to defund law 
enforcement again in September, we are going to fund these Agencies for 
the next 3 years. We are going to give these law enforcement officers 
certainty that they won't be used as political pawns by Democrats and 
that they will be able to do the job they were hired to do. And that is 
an important job.
  Protecting our borders and deporting criminal illegal aliens are 
essential components of our country's security. It is unfortunate that 
Democrats don't agree.
  Last week, the Democrat leader said that Border Patrol and ICE are 
two Agencies that ``nobody respects in this country.''
  ``Nobody respects Border Patrol and ICE.'' That is what he said.
  Apparently, the fact that there are men and women putting their lives 
on the line to ensure dangerous individuals don't enter our country 
does not merit respect from Senate Democrats.
  I guess it is no surprise. After all, Democrats have a history of 
failing to respect our immigration laws. The Biden administration 
clearly did not believe in enforcing immigration laws, and the result 
was 4 years of recordbreaking illegal immigration under President 
Biden's watch.
  Millions--millions--were coming here illegally every single year, and 
a whole lot of those people were waved through and allowed to take up 
residence in this country.
  And long before the Biden border crisis, Democrat-led cities and 
States were implementing sanctuary city policies that prevented their 
law enforcement agencies from working with Federal law enforcement to 
get criminal illegal immigrants off our streets.
  These misguided policies have had tragic consequences. Laken Riley is 
just one example. Mr. President, 2 years ago, Laken was murdered while 
out on a run on the campus of the University of Georgia. Her killer was 
an illegal immigrant who should never have had the opportunity to get 
near her.
  He entered the country illegally during the Biden administration. He 
was released into the interior and was subsequently arrested in New 
York City and later issued a citation for shoplifting in Georgia a few 
short months before Laken's murder.
  After being arrested in New York City, he was released before 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement could issue a detainer, a request 
that police hold an individual so that he could be taken into 
immigration custody.
  And so this individual, here in the United States illegally--and 
subsequently involved in two crimes--was free on the University of 
Georgia campus when Laken Riley went running in February of 2024.
  A man, who had illegally entered our country and then committed not 
one but two crimes in our country, should not have been free on our 
streets, but he was because of open border and sanctuary policies 
implemented by Democrats.
  The Democrats haven't learned their lesson. Today, Democrats are 
advocating for defunding border security and immigration enforcement. 
They are advocating for a return to the policies that led to tragedies 
like the murder of Laken Riley, policies that led to a crisis at the 
southern border and made America and Americans less safe.
  Thanks to Democrats, we have seen what happens when our immigration 
laws aren't enforced. No one--no one--wants to go back to that--no one, 
I guess, but Democrats. We are not about to let that happen. 
Republicans will continue to work to ensure that our borders are secure 
and that dangerous criminals are not on our streets.

                          ____________________