Barrasso: Biden's Border Policies are the Deadliest, most Destructive, and most Disastrous in American History
Press Release
"National security starts with border security.
The senior senator from Kansas and I were just meeting with other Republican members of the Senate to review yesterday's numbers at the southern border, the number of illegal encounters, illegal immigrants coming into this country, an all-time record high of over 12,000 illegal immigrants coming into this country from all over the world.
That's the crisis that people all across the country who tune in their TV's, see what's happening at the southern border, see what is happening in our nation and to our nation.
So here we are on the floor of the Senate. And Senator Schumer, the Majority Leader, wants to vote on $100 billion in national security assistance. And he wants to do it today and we're going to do it today. That request lacks serious and significant changes that are needed to secure the southern border.
Without serious and significant changes, this bill will not pass. Mark my words, Republicans will vote against it.
Republicans and Democrats have opposing views of what is needed at the border. Republicans want to stop the flood of illegal immigrants. Democrats want to wave them through.
Republicans want border enforcement, border security, and real policy changes to keep people out and our communities safe. We don't have that today in Joe Biden's-run America.
What do Democrats want to do? Oh, they want lots of money for sanctuary cities. Big slush funds, give it to the mayor of Chicago, give it to the mayor of New York. And of course, they want guaranteed benefits for illegal immigrants. That's what they're asking for.
Republicans know that border security must be a key element of any bill focused on national security. For my colleagues who ask why -- let me clarify. Our southern border is now the most dangerous border crossing in the world. Under President Biden, the border is a magnet for criminals, smugglers, and terror suspects.
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are warning us -- Democrats may want to cover their ears and not want to the hear any of these warnings, but we are being warned by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, and the FBI director said it yesterday in the Senate.
Cartels are smuggling fentanyl in from Mexico, it's killing hundreds of Americans every day. The number coming on the terrorist watch list continues to increase. The head of the FBI yesterday said since October 7, all lights are flashing red for a terrorist attack in America.
Biden's border policies are the deadliest, the most destructive, and the most disastrous in American history. The cost of this crisis is too large to bear for families, for communities, and even for law enforcement.
That's why Republicans are focused on border security.
Democrats have not put a single bill on the floor of the United States Senate this year that would stop the flood of illegal immigrants. Democrats seem to welcome the national security crisis at our southern border.
That is wrong. It must change.
The Biden administration hides behind terms, terms such as "asylum' and "parole,' and they use those to release millions and millions of people onto our streets, into our communities, into our neighborhoods. And they're bringing with them drugs and crime. And they're killing Americans. The Biden administration wants to turn the other way.
Every single American feels the harmful impacts of these policies.
Here's what's happening thousands of times each and every day on our southern border: Individuals enter the U.S. Illegally, and they immediately turn themselves in to Border Patrol. These are the ones that aren't trying to get away. There's over a million of those, too. And what they do when they give themselves up, they claim they're in danger at home, and then what happens? Well, they're released into the streets of the United States. "Okay, you may be in danger? Oh, you got the magic words? Okay, you come right on in.'
10,000 times a day, 12,000 times yesterday. And Joe Biden allows it to happen -- and the Democrats encourage him!
Some Democrats have finally started to admit that the Biden's policies are harmful to America.
President Obama's Homeland Security Secretary, Jeh Johnson, told his fellow Democrats that the manipulation of our asylum laws is one of the root causes of illegal immigration. At one time Jeh Johnson said 1,000 per day would be overwhelming. Well, it was 12,000 yesterday! Why aren't the Democrats waking up?
Senator Schumer's hometown mayor, Eric Adams, says that the flood of illegal immigration is 'destroying' New York City. Destruction of New York City and Democrats stand by. Now, they do want to give a lot of money there, but they sure don't want to enforce it the law at the border.
Chicago is another one of these cities. Democrats are fearful of having next summer's Democrat National Convention in Chicago. Wonder how many members of this body are actually going to go? Because Democrats across the country are afraid of doing it because Chicago is being overrun right now with illegal immigrants -- overrun and overwhelmed.
If we want to make our country safer -- and Republicans do; I'm not so sure about Democrats at this point for the way they're behaving with regard to the border -- we need to pass serious border security policy changes. Republicans know we must end the incentives that are fueling the Biden border crisis.
And more money to these sanctuary cities and more government benefits to illegal immigrants is not solving the problem; it is inviting more illegal immigrants to come.
This is a deadly serious situation. I'm not so sure the Democrats who were in the secure briefing yesterday, all understood that. I'm not sure the Senate Majority Leader understands that. Real border security is a top national security need."
Republicans have solutions to make our communities and country safer. These measures must be included in any national security bill going to the president's desk.
Without them, there will be no national security bill."
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