{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/news/press-releases/ricketts-highlights-successful-efforts-to-secure-border-protect-nebraskans/", "Ricketts Highlights Successful Efforts to Secure Border, Protect Nebraskans", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "NE", "Pete Ricketts", "R000618", "www.ricketts.senate.gov", "ricketts", "https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list&pagenum=", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) highlighted successes in securing the border and keeping Nebraskans safe.\n\n\u201cA nation is only as secure as its borders. Joe Biden\u2019s open border policies created a national security, humanitarian, and drug catastrophe,\u201d said Ricketts. \u201cPresident Trump won re-election promising to secure the border. This year, that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ve delivered: a secure border. President Trump and Senate Republicans are keeping Americans safe.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor six straight months, U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into our country. It\u2019s the first time in modern history that has happened,\u201d continued Ricketts. \u201cAverage daily border encounters are 95% lower than under Biden in 2024. This fiscal year, we\u2019ve seen fewer illegal border encounters than ever before. That\u2019s fantastic progress. Biden said he needed Congress to act. Turns out, we just needed a new President.\u201d\n\nWatch the video here.\n\nRicketts made the comments as Eswin Mejia, Sarah Root\u2019s killer, faced justice for his crimes. On Monday, Mejia pled no contest on one count of motor vehicle homicide \u2013 DUI. He also pled guilty for one count of failure to appear in court.\n\nTRANSCRIPT:\n\nSenator Ricketts: \u201cA nation is only as secure as its borders.\n\n\u201cJoe Biden\u2019s open border policies created a national security, humanitarian, and drug catastrophe.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump won re-election promising to secure the border.\n\n\u201cThis year, that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ve delivered: a secure border.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump and Senate Republicans are keeping Americans safe.\n\n\u201cUnder President Biden, there were 10 and a half million illegal border encounters.\n\n\u201cEvery state was a border state.\n\n\u201cOver 250 people on the FBI\u2019s terrorist watch list crossed into America.\n\n\u201cFentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18\u201345.\n\n\u201c76,000 pounds of fentanyl flowed across the open border.\n\n\u201c76,000 pounds of fentanyl is over 10 billion lethal doses.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s enough to kill every American 30 times over.\n\n\u201cPresident Biden\u2019s failed border policies exacerbated the fentanyl crisis in this country.\n\n\u201cBiden\u2019s open border policies had deadly consequences across the country.\n\n\u201cNebraska was no exception.\n\n\u201cThey stole the young life of Nebraskan Taryn Lee Griffith.\n\n\u201cThis summer, authorities arrested two members of the violent MS-13 gang in Omaha.\n\n\u201cIn August, five people were arrested in Omaha for sex trafficking and human trafficking, visa fraud, and money laundering.\n\n\u201cThey trafficked minors and illegal immigrants across hotels and salons that they owned.\n\n\u201cAll five are here in the country illegally.\n\n\u201cThis is what happens when you have an open border.\n\n\u201cThe American people voted to close Joe Biden\u2019s open borders.\n\n\u201cThey want our laws enforced.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what President Trump is doing.\n\n\u201cFor six straight months, U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into our country.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s the first time in modern history that has happened.\n\n\u201cAverage daily border encounters are 95% lower than under Biden in 2024.\n\n\u201cThis fiscal year, we\u2019ve seen fewer illegal border encounters than ever before.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s fantastic progress.\n\n\u201cBiden said he needed Congress to act.\n\n\u201cTurns out, we just needed a new President.\n\n\u201cIn the Senate, we\u2019re doing our part to secure our border.\n\n\u201cWe passed the One Big Beautiful Bill.\n\n\u201cThe OBBB makes a generational investment to help finish the border wall, upgrade border technology, and hire more Border Patrol agents.\n\n\u201cIt will help deliver more immigration judges and prosecutors.\n\n\u201cThis will help crack down on drug cartels at the border.\n\n\u201cWe passed the Laken Riley Act into law.\n\n\u201cLaken Riley was just 22 years old when her life was taken by an illegal immigrant.\n\n\u201cThis bipartisan bill ensures that criminal illegal aliens will be detained and deported.\n\n\u201cIt protects American lives.\n\n\u201cThe Laken Riley Act also includes Sarah\u2019s Law.\n\n\u201cIn 2016, just hours after graduating college, Sarah Root was killed.\n\n\u201cShe was killed by an illegal alien drunk driver.\n\n\u201cDue to a loophole in federal law, her killer posted bail, was released from jail, and fled the country.\n\n\u201cSarah\u2019s Law requires ICE to detain aliens criminally charged with killing or seriously injuring another person.\n\n\u201cIt closes the loophole that allowed Sarah\u2019s killer to avoid accountability for nine years.\n\n\u201cWe took action to stop the flow of illegal drugs.\n\n\u201cWe passed the HALT Fentanyl Act.\n\n\u201cThe bill permanently classified fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.\n\n\u201cIt will lead to harsher sentences for fentanyl traffickers.\n\n\u201cI also introduced legislation to fight against next-generation drugs like Nitazene.\n\n\u201cNitazenes are synthetic opioids that often are deadlier than fentanyl.\n\n\u201cMy bill would help prevent Nitazenes from becoming the next drug crisis.\n\n\u201cThe American people voted to close Joe Biden\u2019s open borders and restore order.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m working with President Trump and my Senate colleagues to deliver on this priority.\n\n\u201cUnder our Republican majority, order is being restored.\n\n\u201cThe continued safety and security of Nebraska is my top priority.\n\n\u201cI will keep fighting to keep our communities safe.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "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": 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