Q&A: Secure America Act

Q: Why did you push for passage of the Secure America Act ? A: The disastrous open border policies of the Biden administration weakened our national security and created a humanitarian crisis by empowering criminal networks to exploit tens of thousands of vulnerable migrant children and emboldening drug cartels to push their poison into the country, including along Iowa’s major highways . Lax enforcement of our immigration laws under the previous administration paved unprecedented illegal migration into the country, further exacerbated by the Biden administration’s abuse of the federal immigration parole system . During the Biden presidency, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculated a net entry of more than seven million people illegally entered the United States, nearly doubling legal immigration from fiscal years 2021 to 2024. The Republican-led Congress and the Trump administration are fixing the mess created by the Biden administration’s open border policies. The CBO examined how the illegal immigration surge strained social services and local budgets, calculating it resulted in a direct net cost of more than $9 billion in 2023. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over matters related to immigration and law enforcement, I led passage of the Secure America Act signed into law in June. The nearly $70 billion package boosts border security and immigration enforcement funding, strengthening the ability of the executive branch to faithfully execute the laws of the land. As America celebrates 250 years since our nation’s founding, we’re called to recognize how we got here and where we’re headed. That includes upholding the founding principles to defend our sovereignty and adhere to the rule of rule, such as protecting our borders, enforcing immigration and trade laws and respecting immigrants who obey our laws to come to America. Q: How will the Secure America Act improve public safety? A: This law fully funds federal law enforcement officers and U.S. border security personnel, the men and women who risk their lives to keep our streets safe, keep dangerous drugs out of our communities and keep counterfeit products off our shelves. It’s downright reckless that my Senate Democrat colleagues blocked funding for federal law enforcement officers and intentionally undermined the appropriations process that led to government shutdowns of federal agencies that serve and protect the American public, from border security to security screening at airports. The Secure America Act ensures federal law enforcement officers will be paid for their work. As always, I’m proud to shape public policy that backs the blue and supports measures to protect public safety, including keeping violent criminals, illicit drugs and contraband off our streets. By all accounts, the Trump administration has reversed the disastrous open border policies of the previous administration and is delivering historic border security, upholding our nation’s sovereignty and enforcing federal trade, immigration and agriculture laws. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently announced 13 consecutive months of zero releases of illegal immigrants into the country. At the same time, federal agencies continue robust enforcement of illicit drug trafficking, counterfeit goods and prohibited plant and animal products from entering the country. The Secure America Act gives American families peace of mind that this vital mission of federal law enforcement is fully funded through 2029.