The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Border Security (Executive Session)” mentioning Patrick J. Leahy was published in the Senate section on pages S1686-S1687 on March 23.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Border Security
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about the crisis that is affecting our country right now, and it is the crisis at our southern border. Later this week, I will travel to Texas to inspect the situation firsthand.
My Republican colleagues and I will first say thank you to our law enforcement officers who are there on the frontlines. Their work is always important, and it is especially important at this time.
The President said on Sunday that he hopes to visit the border. He said he hopes to visit the border ``at some point.'' Well, with all due respect, the American people don't have time to wait. I invite the President to join us this Friday. Come with us. See the situation. Witness it firsthand.
Here are the facts. In the month of February, Federal agents apprehended more than 100,000 illegal immigrants crossing our southern border. That is more than double the number from last February. So in just 28 days--28 days of February--over 100,000 illegal immigrants crossed our border.
You know, illegal immigration numbers usually go down in the winter. It rises in the spring and peaks in the summer. We have every reason to expect that this is only going to get much worse in the months ahead. Even the Biden administration admits it. They admit that we are on pace this year to have more illegal immigrants than any year over the last 2 decades.
Why is this happening? Well, if you ask the migrants, they will tell you the answer. His name is Joe Biden. There are photographs of migrants near Tijuana wearing shirts that say: ``BIDEN PLEASE LET US IN!''
They even use the Biden logo--his campaign logo--on their shirts.
So when did the surge of illegal immigrants start? Well, just after President Biden took office on January 20. Before the month was over, President Biden had already issued over seven Executive actions on immigration alone.
As I detailed on the floor a couple of weeks ago, President Biden has unveiled the most leftwing immigration agenda in the history of our Nation. During the campaign last year, President Biden promised lavish taxpayer benefits for illegal immigrants. So did Vice President Harris.
When the moderators at the Democratic debates asked who supported free healthcare for illegal immigrants, President Biden raised his hand. Vice President Harris also endorsed free healthcare for illegal immigrants. President Biden promised not just amnesty but American citizenship for illegal immigrants, and 26 Democrat Senators have already signed onto the bill that he has proposed.
President Biden said in February that he will even give the coronavirus vaccine to illegal immigrants. You come here illegally; you get a free vaccine against coronavirus and free healthcare. No wonder illegal immigrants are rushing to our borders.
But we all remember what happened 4 years ago after President Trump was elected. Before he even issued most of his immigration policies, illegal immigration plummeted. It went down by 40 percent the first 4 months of his Presidency. It was called ``The Trump Effect.'' It happened even before his policies went into effect. It was because he sent a clear message to the world. He said: Don't come here illegally or we will send you right back home. That message was heard around the world.
Now we are getting very different messages from this Biden White House. As a result, we have ``The Biden Effect,'' which is the exact opposite of what ``The Trump Effect'' did. We are having historic increases in illegal immigration. They are promising free healthcare, free education, free vaccines, offering amnesty, and even citizenship for illegal immigrants.
Democrats just passed a bill that lets illegal immigrants get $1,400 checks. Senator Cotton and I tried to stop it. Every Democrat in the U.S. Senate voted against our amendment. They voted to give hard-earned taxpayer dollars to people who aren't even in the country legally.
The White House says publically that we will not expel any illegal immigrants under the age of 18. That is what they have said publicly. The White House Press Secretary even mocked that idea. As a result, massive numbers of teens and children are crossing the border.
Secretary Mayorkas has told the whole world that if you are under 18, you get a free pass. He went on television last week and said: ``We will not expel your child. . . . We will care for that child and unite that child with a responsible parent.
In that same interview, he said: ``I hope [children] will not undertake that perilous journey'' to our border.
But as long as liberal policies are in place, it is a guarantee. They will undertake the perilous journey. They will risk traveling at the hands of smugglers, cartels, and human traffickers to get here.
Now we have a system that is overwhelmed. Our border agents can't keep up. Immigration and Customs Enforcement just spent $86 million to rent hotel rooms--hotel rooms for families who illegally crossed the border; $86 million for hotel rooms for over 1,000 families.
It has been reported that more than 100 illegal immigrants who tested positive for the coronavirus have been released into Texas. They were told to quarantine after they traveled through the country to their preferred destination in the United States. We don't know where they are now or how many people they infected along the way. It could be in Texas. It could be anywhere. It is very concerning to people all across the country, and yet the White House is still in denial.
In fact, last week, the White House Press Secretary had to correct herself. She accidentally used the word ``crisis'' when talking about the border. A reporter asked her if that meant the White House was finally acknowledging that it was a crisis. She said no. She said it was just a ``challenge.''
Joe Biden promised us he would always tell us the truth. Yet the Biden White House is trying to mislead the American people about one of the most important issues that is facing our country today. It is not working. The American public knows this is a crisis. Democrats may think that this is some political game. In reality, this is a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of children are being harmed because of this.
Liberals talk a lot about how much compassion and empathy they feel. The truth is, the policies that they have don't lead to compassionate outcomes. They lead to some very cruel outcomes. As Secretary Mayorkas admits, the journey north from Central America is a ``perilous'' one. It is not safe for children. Large numbers of children who make the journey are trafficked, sexually assaulted, or recruited by gangs. If this year is like previous years, thousands and thousands of children are going to be harmed because they make the journey north. There is nothing compassionate about the open border policy of this administration.
It didn't have to happen. It should not have happened, and the blame rests squarely with President Biden and the open-border Democrats. In less than 2 months, President Biden has already shown himself the most open-borders President in our history as a Nation. It is no surprise that the whole world has noticed.
This crisis will not fix itself. We need to take action. Republicans have a series of commonsense solutions to improve this situation immediately. They include enforcing the law, securing the border, and restoring the policy called ``Remain in Mexico.'' Without these, the Biden border crisis is going to continue to undermine our Nation's safety and its security.
I yield the floor
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.
Mr. SASSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I and then, after me, Senators Leahy and Peters be allowed to complete our remarks in their entirety before the scheduled vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Alerts Sign-up