{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7A0E465D-5B9D-40DC-B17C-5B62D1D44386", "Thune Discusses Biden's Border Blunders", "2023-09-27", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Click here to watch the video.\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed how the crisis at the southern border is impacting communities all across the country. Thune noted that President Biden has the power and authority to end the crisis he created by simply enforcing the law and reinstating the effective immigration policies that were previously in place.\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, \u2018No end in sight.\u2019\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s how one Border Patrol chief described the influx of migrants in the Rio Grande Valley sector of the southern border in March 2021.\n\n\u201c\u2018No end in sight.\u2019\n\n\u201cThat was two and a half years ago, Mr. President.\n\n\u201cAnd there\u2019s still no end in sight to this crisis.\n\n\u201cOn Friday we learned that 232,972 individuals were caught trying to illegally cross our southern border in August.\n\n\u201c232,972.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s the highest August number yet for the Biden administration.\n\n\u201cAnd all signs suggest that we\u2019re on track for a third record-breaking year of apprehensions at the southern border.\n\n\u201cRoughly 11,000 individuals were apprehended attempting to cross our southern border in just 24 hours this past weekend.\n\n\u201c11,000.\n\n\u201cIn 24 hours.\n\n\u201cIf the White House really thinks it\u2019s, quote, \u2018stopping the flow at the border,\u2019 as the White House press secretary said last month, it should think again.\n\n\u201cAnd, Mr. President, it\u2019s important to note that the numbers I\u2019ve mentioned only reflect individuals who were actually apprehended.\n\n\u201cThey don\u2019t include individuals who have made their way into the country illegally without being caught.\n\n\u201cSince the beginning of the Biden administration, there have been at least 1.5 million known gotaways \u2013 individuals the Border Patrol detected but was unable to apprehend.\n\n\u201cMr. President, the Biden administration\u2019s so-called border plan is clearly not working.\n\n\u201cAnd state and local governments are stretched thin.\n\n\u201cAnd I\u2019m not just talking about border towns and border states.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m talking about places like New York City.\n\n\u201cChicago.\n\n\u201cMassachusetts.\n\n\u201cAs migrants flood into these locations, blue states and blue cities are learning what border states have been experiencing for years.\n\n\u201cAnd they\u2019re struggling with the costs this crisis is imposing.\n\n\u201cDenver, Colorado, has spent almost $25 million sheltering migrants.\n\n\u201cChicago is projected to spend more than $250 million this year on migrant care.\n\n\u201cAnd New York City could spend $12 billion by 2025 on the migrant crisis, possibly precipitating cuts to city services.\n\n\u201cTo give just one example of the current crisis, the city has begun housing 3,000 illegal immigrants at a makeshift shelter on local soccer fields, eliminating a popular source of activity and recreation for local children.\n\n\u201cHere\u2019s what New York City mayor Eric Adams had to say about this crisis the other day: \u201cLet me tell you something, New Yorkers, never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to \u2014 I don\u2019t see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City.\u201d\n\n\u201cMr. President, the border crisis we\u2019re experiencing is the predictable outcome of decisions made early in the Biden administration.\n\n\u201cThe president\u2019s team was warned of the possibility of a migrant surge.\n\n\u201cYet the moment the president took office he set about dismantling the immigration policies of his predecessor and weakening our nation\u2019s border security.\n\n\u201cAnd it wasn\u2019t long before the border was overwhelmed.\n\n\u201cAnd while after two years the Biden administration finally started to at least halfheartedly acknowledge the border crisis, what few proactive measures the administration has taken have been ineffective to say the least.\n\n\u201cAs one columnist put it recently in the Washington Post, \u201cThe Biden administration\u2019s various efforts have amounted to Band-Aids on a massive, open wound.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m also deeply concerned about some of the new policies the administration seems to be considering.\n\n\u201cThe Department of Homeland Security is reported to be considering requiring some illegal immigrants to remain in Texas or perhaps other border states while they await asylum screening.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I\u2019m not sure if this is an attempt to spare blue states from having to deal with the border crisis, or a recognition that releasing tens of thousands of illegal immigrants into the interior of the country isn\u2019t a good idea, but regardless, forcing border communities to shoulder even more of the burden of this crisis is a terrible \u2013 and profoundly unjust \u2013 idea.\n\n\u201cHow about actually turning illegal immigrants back at the borders of this country, instead of keeping them within the borders of border states?\n\n\u201cThen there\u2019s the supplemental funding request the White House sent to Congress.\n\n\u201cAs our colleague Senator Hagerty has pointed out, the request includes a provision that would allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding to be used for shelters and migrant services.\n\n\u201cIn the words of the senator from Tennessee, this could, quote, \u201ceffectively convert ICE from a law enforcement agency into a U.S. travel agency for illegal aliens and into a grant-making bureaucracy for sanctuary cities.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am pleased that the administration and Mexico have reached an agreement in which Mexico will attempt to reduce pressure on its border cities by sending migrants back to their home countries, among other reforms.\n\n\u201cBut after letting this crisis deepen for two and a half years, the administration has a lot more work to do.\n\n\u201cMr. President, currently immigration is high on Americans\u2019 list of concerns.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s no wonder.\n\n\u201cAmericans can tell that our borders are open and that things are not getting better.\n\n\u201cAnd they know that our current situation is not sustainable.\n\n\u201cIt would be nice if the president could figure that out as well.\n\n\u201cMr. President, ultimately, it\u2019s simple.\n\n\u201cPresident Biden created this crisis.\n\n\u201cAnd he has the power to end it.\n\n\u201cHe just needs to decide that he\u2019s going to enforce the law.\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, until he does so, I\u2019m afraid that it will continue to be \u2018no end in sight\u2019 at the southern border.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I yield the floor.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"]], "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.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7A0E465D-5B9D-40DC-B17C-5B62D1D44386"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5017499681562185, "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"}