'A Crisis Of President Biden's Own Making': Ted Budd Spars With Dem Over Migrant Deportation Bill

4 months ago

During remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) debated Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) over a bill that would allow the deportation of migrants charged with assaulting first responders.

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Transcript

00:00 In order to be a strong nation, we have to have strong borders.

00:05 And right now, we don't have that.

00:06 We haven't had that for three and a half years.

00:08 In fact, we're in the middle of the worst border crisis in American history.

00:12 This is a crisis of President Biden's own making.

00:16 Starting on his first day in office, he has intentionally and repeatedly

00:19 undermined security at the southern border.

00:22 During his first 100 days in office, President Biden took 94 executive

00:28 actions to open the border.

00:31 Three and a half years later, nearly 10 million illegal aliens

00:35 have entered our country.

00:36 Now those 10 million include an unknown number of dangerous individuals.

00:42 Hundreds on the terrorism watch list.

00:45 Countless transnational cartel members, drug smugglers, human traffickers.

00:51 It's a laundry list of evil.

00:53 And perhaps the worst consequences that we've seen over the past three

00:58 and a half years are the tragedies.

01:01 The innocent men and women taken from their families by an illegal alien

01:06 who should have never been here in the first place.

01:09 So imagine being a mother or father, you send your daughter off to college.

01:16 You're beaming with pride, but you're also a little heart sick that they're

01:21 going to be out there on their own.

01:22 Then a few months later, you get the worst call in your life.

01:28 And that's the reality for the family of Lake and Riley.

01:31 Or another situation.

01:35 Let's imagine that your uncle is a sheriff's deputy.

01:38 Couldn't be prouder of him.

01:40 You know that he gets up, he goes to work every day to defend and

01:44 protect his community.

01:44 One day, you see his name on the news as a victim of a pack of illegal alien

01:51 gang members who brutally murdered him while he was on duty.

01:56 That's the reality for the family of Wake County, North Carolina,

02:00 Deputy Sheriff, Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd.

02:03 Now, I recognize that the debate around illegal immigration, it's full of

02:08 passion and sometimes antagonism.

02:10 But I believe we can all agree that if an illegal alien commits a crime of

02:16 assaulting a police officer, he or she must be subject to immediate deportation.

02:23 And Mr. President, that's why I stand here today.

02:26 To propose that the Senate pass the Police Act.

02:29 It's a straightforward bill.

02:31 The Police Act simply states that an alien, an illegal alien, can be deported

02:37 for assaulting a police officer, firefighter, or other first responder.

02:41 The bill, it's already passed the House and it can be sent to the

02:45 President's desk by passing it right now.

02:47 Any senator who claims to support the police should have no problem

02:52 supporting this bill.

02:54 So, let's help remove dangerous individuals, Mr.

02:58 President, before another tragedy strikes.

03:02 Notwithstanding Rule 22, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume

03:10 legislative session, the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further

03:14 consideration of H.R.

03:16 2494, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

03:20 Is there objection?

03:22 Mr. President.

03:22 Senator Pataki.

03:23 Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

03:26 This is an interesting bill to be offered for unanimous consent because

03:32 it actually does nothing.

03:34 It does nothing.

03:36 Why?

03:37 Because individuals are already subject to deportation for assault.

03:45 Whether they assault a police officer, whether they assault a milkman,

03:53 whether they assault your family member, people who are convicted of

03:58 serious assaults of law enforcement are already deportable.

04:01 They already can face both state and federal criminal allegations.

04:06 Under current law, if an individual is convicted of any crime of violence and

04:11 sentenced to a year or more in prison, that's an aggravated felony.

04:15 That person is deportable.

04:16 Even more so, any crime of "moral turpitude," where the crime is

04:23 punishable by imprisonment of one or more year, is subject to deportation.

04:29 Additionally, any non-citizens that are convicted of any aggravated felony,

04:34 including misdemeanor offenses, including misdemeanor offenses,

04:38 are subject to deportation.

04:40 This bill doesn't do anything.

04:43 If you are here waiting for an asylum claim or on a green card and you

04:48 assault a police officer, you are subject to deportation under existing law.

04:51 So why are we considering taking this up under UC?

04:56 Well, I think Senator Budd referenced it in his underlying remarks.

05:00 It's part of an effort to try to make Americans believe that there is a

05:06 specific dangerous threat posed to you by immigrants.

05:12 That you should be afraid of immigrants.

05:13 That there is a crime wave sweeping this country caused by people who are

05:21 coming to this country to seek a better life.

05:23 Listen, I spent five months negotiating a bipartisan border deal because I

05:28 believe that we need to come together in a bipartisan way to bring greater

05:33 order to the Southwest border.

05:35 So I won't take a backseat to anybody when it comes to making the tough

05:38 decisions necessary to bring some border security to this country.

05:42 But the Senator offering this motion voted against that bipartisan bill.

05:46 So did almost every other of his Republican colleagues.

05:51 We had an opportunity to do something about bipartisan border security

05:55 and Republicans rejected it.

05:57 Why?

05:58 Because President Trump said, no, let's keep the border chaotic.

06:02 Let's keep this an open political issue.

06:04 Do nothing until the election.

06:07 We had a chance to come together in a thoughtful way on a bipartisan border

06:11 bill and we did not.

06:12 The facts are this, whether you choose to want to believe the facts or not,

06:19 that is not my decision.

06:21 It is your decision.

06:22 But immigrants commit crimes in this country at a rate lower than natural

06:32 born citizens.

06:33 You may not believe that if you watch Fox News every night, but I hate to

06:39 tell you it is the truth.

06:41 So if you want a safe town or a safe neighborhood, you're better off.

06:46 You are statistically safer.

06:50 If you have immigrants, because they commit crimes of violence at a rate

06:58 lower than people who are born in the United States.

07:00 So I don't know why we're being asked to vote on this bill because it doesn't

07:07 do anything.

07:09 Other than feed this idea, this false narrative that this country has

07:15 something to fear.

07:16 From families that are coming to the United States fleeing.

07:22 Either economic desperation or violence or terror or torture for a better life.

07:29 And for that reason, I object.

07:31 Action is heard, Mr. President, Senator from North Carolina.

07:34 Such an honor to serve the people of North Carolina.

07:39 All 100 counties, all different backgrounds.

07:42 I don't profess to know what it's like in Connecticut, but I thank my colleague

07:47 from there for his remarks.

07:48 But it's disheartening to me to hear that a simple piece of legislation, the

07:54 Police Act, which states that an alien could be an illegal alien could be

07:58 deported for assaulting a police officer, firefighter or first responder as nothing.

08:05 I don't profess to understand that.

08:08 Perhaps it's different in Connecticut than North Carolina.

08:11 I don't know.

08:12 I don't want to put words in the mouth of the family of Lake and Riley or

08:16 deputy, the family of Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd, but I don't believe it's nothing.

08:22 I yield.

08:23 (sighs)

'A Crisis Of President Biden's Own Making': Ted Budd Spars With Dem Over Migrant Deportation Bill

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