[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 20, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2385-S2386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           SECURE AMERICA ACT

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I have a simple message for the 
dedicated men and women of ICE and Border Patrol: Help is on the way.
  You spent the last 5 months guarding our borders and protecting our 
communities. You were defunded by the Democrats. You were demonized by 
members of the media. Your homes and your families were threatened by 
radicals.
  Courageously, you carried out your mission. And you do it with 
patriotism, professionalism, and resolve. Your commitment makes America 
safer. Republicans are fighting to send you the support you need, as 
you continue to do your duty.
  For the first time in 4 years, the United States now has a secure 
border. Under Joe Biden and the Democrats, 10 million illegal 
immigrants flooded into our country. Democrats' catch-and-release 
policies turned every State into a border State.
  Today, under Republicans, catch-and-release has been replaced with 
detain-and-deport. Zero illegal immigrants have entered our Nation in 
the past year. Hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals are being 
removed each and every week.
  In just 2 weeks last month, officers in Houston arrested 277 illegal 
immigrant criminals--criminals who had been convicted of a total of 751 
offenses. This isn't an innocent group of people. It is convicted 
murders. It is child abusers. It is drug dealers. It is violent gang 
members.
  This is just in one city--Houston, TX.
  Let me state the obvious: Illegal immigrant criminals do not make our 
communities or our country safer. They make our communities more 
dangerous.
  Republicans want the law to be upheld. We want to continue to remove 
illegal immigrant criminals from our communities.
  And President Trump has made significant progress making communities 
safer. Republicans will protect this progress and keep it going into 
the future.
  That is what this week is all about here in the U.S. Senate. Senate 
Republicans have introduced legislation to fully fund the men and women 
of immigration enforcement. It is called the Secure America Act.
  The Secure America Act fully funds Immigrations and Customs 
Enforcement. It fully funds U.S. Border Patrol. It funds them for not 1 
year, not 2 years, but 3 full years. It guarantees full funding for ICE 
and Border Patrol for the entire Presidency of President Trump.
  This is an urgent priority.
  Since January, Democrats have blocked critical funding for ICE. They 
have blocked critical funding for Border Patrol. Democrats continue to 
try to defund law enforcement in America at this very moment. Democrats 
don't respect law enforcement. They will not honor their sacrifice, and 
Democrats refuse to fund them.
  Today's Democratic Party is more interested in protecting illegal 
immigrant criminals than it is in protecting law-abiding American 
citizens. Today's Democratic Party belongs to the radicals who want to 
abolish ICE and return to open borders. Democrats are willing to 
sacrifice the safety and security of the American people to illegal 
immigrant criminals.
  That is why Republicans will fully fund law enforcement without a 
single Democrat vote. Republicans will pass the Secure America Act. 
This is a choice between safe communities and open borders. This is 
about protecting America's law-abiding citizens.

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