{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/republicans-will-fund-ice-and-border-patrol-despite-democrat-obstruction/", "Republicans Will Fund ICE and Border Patrol Despite Democrat Obstruction", "2026-06-03", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "Senate", "WY", "John Barrasso", "B001261", "www.barrasso.senate.gov", "barrasso", "https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/newsroom/news-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cThe American people deserve to feel safe at home, safe in their communities. And we deserve to have a homeland that is secure. And that\u2019s why I am saying it is time to pass the Secure America Act.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) today\n\nspoke about how Republicans will fully fund Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement through the Secure America Act. Senator Barrasso discussed how Republicans are committed to keeping our communities safe and secure while Democrats are committed to defunding law enforcement.\n\nClick HERE to watch Senator Barrasso\u2019s remarks.\n\nSen. Barrasso\u2019s remarks:\n\n\u201cRepublicans are ready to move forward on funding critical components of our government. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Border Patrol.\n\n\u201cI heard the Minority Leader here on the Floor of the Senate a few minutes ago, and it sounds like he is continuing \u2013 as the Democrats have been doing \u2013 standing with illegal immigrant criminals. Protecting illegal immigrant criminals rather than protecting American citizens.\n\n\u201cWhat we\u2019re proposing \u2013 and the bill we\u2019ll be discussing today \u2013 is a bill that is targeted and is focused. And it is a vote for safe communities, not for criminals, specifically criminal illegal aliens. It is a vote for secure borders.\n\n\u201cSafe communities and secure borders are the top priorities of American citizens. People want to live in safe communities. They want secure borders. The top priority of the Democrats doesn\u2019t seem to be that at all. It seems to be defund border security, defund law enforcement in this country. That\u2019s what they\u2019ve been for years. Protesting in the streets. Defund the police. Get rid of ICE.\n\n\u201cWe need safety and security for the American people. What we\u2019ve seen after month and month and month of Democrat obstruction is very clear. Democrats want to go back to the days of the chaos of open borders. People streaming across the Southern Border into our nation. Republicans are not prepared to allow them to do it.\n\n\u201cThe American people deserve to feel safe at home, safe in their communities. And we deserve to have a homeland that is secure. And that\u2019s why I am saying it is time to pass the Secure America Act.\n\n\u201cEarlier this month, the United States Border Patrol secured a historic record. For a full year, not a single illegal immigrant has been released into our country. Catch and release no longer exists. Our border is more secure than ever before.\n\n\u201cOf course, this security is not guaranteed. The border is secure because enforcement is strong, and there is a commitment to enforcing the law. The danger has not disappeared.\n\n\u201cOne week ago, United States Border Patrol agents and Texas Highway Patrol arrested 12 illegal immigrants in Southwest Texas. The arrests occurred late at night on a private ranch near our Southern Border. Among those arrested are six Chinese nationals. All of them were military age. All of them were captured wearing military-style camouflage.\n\n\u201cThese six Chinese nationals are not ordinary illegal immigrants. They are what law enforcement classifies as \u2018Special Interest Aliens.\u2019 A Special Interest Alien is a non-citizen whose country of origin or travel history raises the concern of a serious national security threat. Special Interest Aliens are subject to enhanced security scrutiny.\n\n\u201cThe six Chinese nationals wanted to avoid getting caught. We still don\u2019t know who they are. We still don\u2019t know why they are here. We still don\u2019t know where they were heading. We still don\u2019t know who they planned to meet.\n\n\u201cThis situation reminds us of a core security principle: national security starts with border security. Congress cannot allow Democrats to strangle the resources Border Patrol needs to keep America safe.\n\n\u201cThe United States Border Patrol stands on the front lines of American safety. These are the men and women who patrol areas that are rugged and remote. They secure our borders. They keep illegal immigrant criminals out of our country. They do dangerous and diligent work because they know it makes the American people safer.\n\n\u201cJoe Biden and Democrats failed to secure the border. Joe Biden and Democrats undermined the men and women of Border Patrol. They turned our Southern Border into a turnstile. Over ten million people entered our country illegally in just four years. There was no enforcement of border law. There was only abandonment of our border.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump and Republicans had the common sense and commitment to secure the border. Through the Working Families Tax Cuts law, we invested $170 billion in border security. That\u2019s the largest border security investment in American history.\n\n\u201cRepublicans funded the border wall. We ended Joe Biden\u2019s Catch and Release policy. We restored Remain in Mexico. We cracked down on the Cartels. We gave Border Patrol the tools and resources to do their job. Republicans remain resolutely committed to keeping America safe.\n\n\u201cBy contrast, Democrats continue their commitment to open borders and to defunding the police. Democrats in the Senate right now are obstructing funding for Border Patrol. The Democrat blockade has gone on since January.\n\n\u201cDemocrats are choosing protecting illegal immigrants over protecting law-abiding American citizens. They want to defund the police. They want to defund American security. They are choosing open borders over a secure America.\n\n\u201cCartels, criminals, and foreign adversaries are watching what we do here in Washington D.C. Defunding Border Patrol is a dream to every criminal in the world who wishes to take advantage of innocent Americans. Why are Democrats standing with them? If we are serious about safe and secure communities, we must fully fund border security.\n\n\u201cRepublicans introduced the Secure America Act. It will fully fund Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the next three years. It will give law enforcement the tools to keep illegal immigrant criminals, the cartels, and terror suspects out of our country.\n\n\u201cRepublicans support the United States Border Patrol. We will deliver resources for the brave men and women who are committed to the safety and security of the American people.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-06-04T06:38:12Z", "2026-06-04T06:39:44Z"]], "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/republicans-will-fund-ice-and-border-patrol-despite-democrat-obstruction/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0908977128565311, "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"}