Q&A: Senate Beefs Up Law Enforcement Tools to Protect Americans

Q: What border security measures did you lead in the Senate budget bill?
A:As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I included significant upgrades for border security in the Senate’s budget bill that address the disastrous open border policies of the Biden-Harris administration. During the previous administration, more than 10 million illegal immigrants from countries around the world poured across our nation’s southern border, including violent criminals and potential terrorists. The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General earlier this month confirmed the Biden-Harris administration failed to properly vet all Afghan evacuees,encountering at least 55 individualswith hits on the terrorist screening database. Last fall, theFBI arrested an Afghan nationalfor plotting a terror attack on U.S. soil after gaining entry on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). FollowingOperation Midnight Hammeron June 22 that struck three of Iran’s nuclear sites, tensions between Iran and the United States underscore the real and present danger of an open border policy. Just consider, of more than 1,500 Iranian nationals who were encountered at the southern border crossing illegally into the U.S. during the previous administration, nearly half were released into the country. The potential for Iranian sleeper cells on the ground here in the United States is a reckless consequence of the Biden-Harris open border policies. The Trump administration iscoordinating among federal agencies to address this risk.
As the Senate hammered out the details for theOne Big Beautiful Bill Act, I led historic investments in the nation’s immigration system to support law enforcement and give frontline immigration enforcement officials the tools they need to secure the border. Specifically, the legislation would boost funding for immigration agencies; reimburse states who pitched in to protect the U.S. border during the Biden-Harris administration; expand resources for law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to protect public safety; and bring fiscal accountability into the immigration system by raising fees to offset enforcement costs.
Q: How did open border policies impact the safety of law enforcement personnel?
A:Plain and simple, the foolish border policies under the Biden White House unleashed an unmanageable mess at the southern border. The border crisis overwhelmed law enforcement and immigration officials and empowered dangerous Mexican drug cartels to ramp up their human smuggling and drug trafficking networks. In June, I convened a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing toshed light on law enforcement’songoing work to combat cartels and regain a foothold at the border to protect American lives and restore U.S. sovereignty. Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations testified about their experiences enforcing the law and investigating crimes at the border, including being surveilled andtargeted by the drug cartels. Our bill includes more resources for the Department of Justice to combat the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl that havedevastated too many families.
As a strong supporter of the men and women who serve on the thin blue line, I pushed to boost funding for the Byrne JAG and Community Policing Services (COPS) to support boots-on-the-ground efforts to combat violent crime in local communities. Myoversight workhas exposedcritical gapsin the Bureau of Prisons. After hearing from law enforcement, I worked to boost funding to address staff shortages and capital improvements to upgrade deteriorating detention facilities. The bill also beefs up recruitment and training tools for the U.S. Secret Service in the wake of two assassination attempts against President Trump. The Senate billresponds to the mandateof the last election. The electorate voted for the America First agenda, and that includes reclaiming oursovereignty and rule of lawat our borders to keep Americans safe.