During remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) spoke about the border security policies under the Trump Administration.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I just heard my colleague, the majority, previous majority, now minority leader, senior senator from New York, talk about a number of things.
00:11And it just reflected on the fact why he is now the minority leader instead of the majority leader.
00:16It's because of the elections in November.
00:19And it was an election that was won by Republicans because the previous administration had been the administration of high prices and open borders.
00:28So I'd like to address those two things today and show why the American people made the right decision in November when they were focused on high prices and an open border.
00:40And all I need to do is turn to the headline this morning, and it talked about inflation cooled.
00:48Inflation is lower than expected for this past month.
00:51Washington Post headline, inflation cooled significantly in March.
00:56Axios headline, consumer prices fall in March.
01:02And then CNN this morning, they noted that consumer prices month over month dropped for the first time since COVID.
01:12Republicans have promised to get America back on track.
01:16And then when it comes to the border, Mr. President, remember the headline from the past?
01:21Migrant crossing soar to near record high levels.
01:25That was CBS News, September 21st, 2024, about six weeks prior to the election.
01:35Record high border crossings were a reality in Joe Biden's final months in the White House.
01:41Biden then had about 7,000 illegal immigrants flooding across the southern border each and every day.
01:507,000 a day from San Diego, California, all the way to my home state, Sheridan, Wyoming.
01:58Every city in America was a border state.
02:01Communities were overrun and overwhelmed.
02:04So let's fast forward to today, where we see the inflation numbers looking good, down, improved, first time since COVID.
02:14Let's take a look at the border today.
02:18When President Trump, with President Trump in charge, things have changed dramatically.
02:23Last month, the entire month, illegal border crossings dropped to 7,000.
02:307,000 for the month, that is the lowest monthly total in decades.
02:35So we went from 7,000 illegal immigrants a day under Joe Biden to 7,000 illegal immigrants for the entire month of March.
02:47This turnaround isn't luck.
02:49It's leadership.
02:50And there's a big difference.
02:51Joe Biden recklessly dismantled our border security.
02:56In his first 100 days in office, he signed 94 executive actions.
03:03That threw open our borders.
03:05President Trump has restored decisive enforcement in his first 100 days.
03:10Illegal border crossings have dropped 97%, 94% dramatically.
03:16The New York Post hailed this as a stunning new low in border crossings.
03:23ABC News said that Southwest border crossings for March, lowest in history.
03:29Washington Post wondered, whatever happened to the border crisis?
03:33Well, let me tell you what happened.
03:35This is what happens when a president stops coddling the criminals.
03:39This is what happens when a president starts enforcing the law.
03:43The contrast is undeniable.
03:45The previous administration surrendered.
03:49The current administration delivered what the American people wanted.
03:54Cartel killers, drug dealers, murderers, rapists are getting hauled in and thrown out by the thousands.
04:01Immigrations and Customs Enforcement reports that there have been over 100,000 deportations in 80 days.
04:09That's about progress.
04:10That's promises kept.
04:12Yet the fight is just beginning.
04:14Last week, a college student was killed by an illegal immigrant in a hit-and-run.
04:18The student's name is Nate Baker.
04:24Nate attended the University of South Carolina.
04:26He had just turned 21 years old two weeks before.
04:31This is a death that was preventable.
04:34His killer has been identified and was identified by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the last five years.
04:40His killer is one of more than 600,000 illegal immigrant criminals still in our country.
04:48These are the very illegal immigrants that President Trump and his team are deporting.
04:54Deaths like Nate's and deaths like the drug overdoses,
04:58the families who've lost loved ones,
05:01There are real human costs to American citizens as a result of open borders.
05:10Open borders aren't compassionate as Democrat after Democrat continues to claim,
05:15and Nancy Pelosi talked about it.
05:17They are catastrophic.
05:18Grieving families like Nate's, they deserve justice, not half-measures.
05:25Public safety demands we deport illegal immigrant criminals, not coddle them.
05:30This is why Senate Republicans have taken action.
05:34On Saturday, we passed a budget roadmap for a safer, more prosperous nation.
05:38It includes $175 billion in border funding.
05:44It puts us on a path to finish the wall.
05:47It boosts the border patrol.
05:49It boosts Immigration and Customs Enforcement staffing.
05:53It provides for much greater detention capacity for the lawbreakers.
05:57And remember, those are the lawbreakers that Joe Biden openly invited into our country.
06:02Now, President Trump, his secretary, Kristi Noem, and border czar Tom Homan,
06:07and they say this budget is the muscle that they need to be able to complete the job.
06:13I agree with them.
06:14They're right.
06:15And that's what we're ready to deliver.
06:18Now, when it came to the vote on the Senate floor, this very floor,
06:22Senate Democrats voted unanimously against border security.
06:26One after another after another, and their names were called, voted,
06:32No!
06:33They weren't going to secure the border.
06:35Weren't interested.
06:36Leave it wide open.
06:38Continue to invite the criminal cartels and the drug dealers.
06:44For four years, Senate Democrats welcomed open border policies that left our communities vulnerable.
06:51And the Democrats in this body last week still support those reckless, irresponsible policies of open borders.
07:01Republicans offered solutions, not the Democrats.
07:04They offered resistance to what we were doing to secure the border.
07:09Americans saw the difference last November, and they voted that way.
07:12They chose strength and security over crime and chaos.
07:16That's what the American people want, strength, security.
07:21They want safe communities.
07:23The numbers speak for themselves.
07:247,000 illegal immigrants per day under Joe Biden last year to 7,000 a month now.
07:30It's a consequential difference.
07:33It's a difference that will save American lives.
07:38Thank you, Mr. President.
07:39Thank you, Mr. President.
07:40Thank you, Mr. President.
07:41Thank you, Mr. President.
07:41Thank you, Mr. President.
07:41Thank you, Mr. President.
07:42Thank you, Mr. President.
07:42Thank you, Mr. President.
07:43Thank you, Mr. President.
07:44Thank you, Mr. President.
07:44Thank you, Mr. President.
07:45Thank you, Mr. President.
07:46Thank you, Mr. President.
07:47Thank you, Mr. President.
07:48Thank you, Mr. President.
07:49Thank you, Mr. President.
07:50Thank you, Mr. President.
07:51Thank you, Mr. President.
07:52Thank you, Mr. President.
07:53Thank you, Mr. President.
07:54Thank you, Mr. President.
07:55Thank you, Mr. President.
07:56Thank you, Mr. President.
07:57Thank you, Mr. President.
07:58Thank you, Mr. President.