{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/barrasso-republicans-want-to-secure-america-democrats-want-to-defund-the-police/", "Barrasso: Republicans Want to Secure America. Democrats Want to Defund the Police", "2026-05-20", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "Senate", "WY", "John Barrasso", "B001261", "www.barrasso.senate.gov", "barrasso", "https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/newsroom/news-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cDemocrats 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.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) today spoke about the Secure America Act, which fully funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol after months of Democrat obstruction.\n\nClick HERE to watch Senator Barrasso\u2019s remarks.\n\nSen. Barrasso\u2019s remarks as prepared:\n\n\u201cI have a simple message to the dedicated men and women of ICE and Border Patrol: Help is on the way.\n\n\u201cYou spent the last five months guarding our borders and protecting our communities. You were defunded by Democrats. You were demonized by members of the media. Your homes and families were threatened by radical activists.\n\n\u201cCourageously, you carried out your mission. 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.\n\n\u201cFor the first time in four years, the United States has a secure border. Under Joe Biden and the Democrats, ten million illegal immigrants flooded into our country. Democrats\u2019 catch and release policies turned every state into a border state.\n\n\u201cToday, under Republicans, catch and release has been replaced with detain and deport. Zero illegal immigrants have entered our country in the past year. Hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals are being removed each and every week.\n\n\u201cIn just two weeks last month, officers in Houston arrested 277 illegal immigrant criminals \u2013 criminals who have been convicted of a total of 751 criminal offenses. This isn\u2019t an innocent group of people. It is convicted murderers. It is child abusers. It is drug dealers. It is violent gang members. And this is just in one city.\n\n\u201cLet me state the obvious. Illegal immigrant criminals do not make our country safer. They make our communities more dangerous.\n\n\u201cRepublicans want to uphold the law. We want to continue to remove illegal immigrant criminals from our communities. President Trump has made significant progress making communities safer. Republicans will protect this progress and keep it going into the future.\n\n\u201cThat is what this week is all about. Senate Republicans have introduced legislation to fully fund the men and women of immigration enforcement. It is called the Secure America Act.\n\n\u201cThe Secure America Act fully funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It fully funds U.S. Border Patrol. It funds them not for one year, not for two years, but for three full years. It guarantees full funding for ICE and Border Patrol for the entire presidency of President Trump. This is an urgent priority.\n\n\u201cSince 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 do not respect law enforcement, will not honor their sacrifice, and refuse to fund them.\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s Democrat Party is more interested in protecting illegal immigrant criminals than they are protecting law-abiding American citizens. Today\u2019s Democrat Party belongs to the radicals who want to Abolish ICE and return to open borders.\n\n\u201cDemocrats 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.\n\n\u201cRepublicans will pass the Secure America Act. This is a choice between safe communities and open borders. This is about protecting law-abiding American citizens.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-05-21T06:28:16Z", "2026-05-21T06:29:43Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/barrasso-republicans-want-to-secure-america-democrats-want-to-defund-the-police/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7633790373802185, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}