SECURE AMERICA ACT

On 2026-05-20, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) delivered a floor speech titled "SECURE AMERICA ACT" in the Senate.

SECURE AMERICA ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 86 (Wednesday, May 20, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 20, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S2385-S2386] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SECURE AMERICA ACT Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I have a simple message for the dedicated men and women of ICE and Border Patrol: Help is on the way. You spent the last 5 months guarding our borders and protecting our communities. You were defunded by the Democrats. You were demonized by members of the media. Your homes and your families were threatened by radicals. Courageously, you carried out your mission. And you do it with patriotism, professionalism, and resolve. Your commitment makes America safer. Republicans are fighting to send you the support you need, as you continue to do your duty. For the first time in 4 years, the United States now has a secure border. Under Joe Biden and the Democrats, 10 million illegal immigrants flooded into our country. Democrats' catch-and-release policies turned every State into a border State. Today, under Republicans, catch-and-release has been replaced with detain-and-deport. Zero illegal immigrants have entered our Nation in the past year. Hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals are being removed each and every week. In just 2 weeks last month, officers in Houston arrested 277 illegal immigrant criminals--criminals who had been convicted of a total of 751 offenses. This isn't an innocent group of people. It is convicted murders. It is child abusers. It is drug dealers. It is violent gang members. This is just in one city--Houston, TX. Let me state the obvious: Illegal immigrant criminals do not make our communities or our country safer. They make our communities more dangerous. Republicans want the law to be upheld. We want to continue to remove illegal immigrant criminals from our communities. And President Trump has made significant progress making communities safer. Republicans will protect this progress and keep it going into the future. That is what this week is all about here in the U.S. Senate. Senate Republicans have introduced legislation to fully fund the men and women of immigration enforcement. It is called the Secure America Act. The Secure America Act fully funds Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. It fully funds U.S. Border Patrol. It funds them for not 1 year, not 2 years, but 3 full years. It guarantees full funding for ICE and Border Patrol for the entire Presidency of President Trump. This is an urgent priority. Since January, Democrats have blocked critical funding for ICE. They have blocked critical funding for Border Patrol. Democrats continue to try to defund law enforcement in America at this very moment. Democrats don't respect law enforcement. They will not honor their sacrifice, and Democrats refuse to fund them. Today's Democratic Party is more interested in protecting illegal immigrant criminals than it is in protecting law-abiding American citizens. Today's Democratic Party belongs to the radicals who want to abolish ICE and return to open borders. Democrats are willing to sacrifice the safety and security of the American people to illegal immigrant criminals. That is why Republicans will fully fund law enforcement without a single Democrat vote. Republicans will pass the Secure America Act. This is a choice between safe communities and open borders. This is about protecting America's law-abiding citizens. [[Page S2386]] ____________________