Americans Are Safer Because of Republicans’ Border Security Policies

Thanks to President Trump’s Historic Border Enforcement and Congressional Republicans’ Transformational Achievements in the Working Families Tax Cuts Law and the Secure America Act, the Southern Border Is More Secure Than Ever

UNDER REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP, THE SOUTHERN BORDER IS SECURE AND AMERICAN COMMUNITIES ARE SAFER

(U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Southwest Land Border Encounters – accessed 7/21/26)

• Last week, “the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced 14 consecutive months of zero releases at the border, continuing the unprecedented trend of historically low border crossings.” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Trump Administration Delivers 14 Straight Months of Zero Releases at the Border – 7/16/26)
• “The sustained decline in illegal border crossings and apprehensions—now at levels not seen in over three decades—shows the profound impact of robust enforcement policies.” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Trump Administration Delivers 14 Straight Months of Zero Releases at the Border – 7/16/26)
• “Nationwide, CBP’s encounters in June (31,626) were 4% lower than May. The U.S. Border Patrol’s nationwide apprehensions (11,396) were also 4% lower than last month.” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Trump Administration Delivers 14 Straight Months of Zero Releases at the Border – 7/16/26)
• “The U.S. Border Patrol’s apprehensions along the southwest border in June (9,848) were 94% lower than the monthly average of the Biden administration, 96% below its peak (December 2023), and less than what was apprehended in 4 days in June 2024.” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Trump Administration Delivers 14 Straight Months of Zero Releases at the Border – 7/16/26)
• “June seizures 49% higher than under Biden: Nationwide in June, seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana (combined, by weight) increased 49% from June 2024.” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Trump Administration Delivers 14 Straight Months of Zero Releases at the Border – 7/16/26)
• “More than 100 illegal immigrants from Haiti with convictions for violent offenses and child sex crimes in the United States were deported to their native country last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Monday.”
  • “A July 16 deportation flight that landed in Haiti included passengers with a range of criminal histories, including convictions for child molestation, domestic violence, and armed carjacking, DHS said.” (Fox News: More than 100 Haitian immigrants with violent offense and sex crime convictions deported: DHS – 7/20/26)

THESE SUCCESSES ARE THE DIRECT RESULT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BORDER ENFORCEMENT AND CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS’ LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

“The days of catch and release are over. We are enforcing the nation’s laws and sending illegal aliens back to their home countries.” – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin

• With over a year of successful border security policies in effect, the Trump administration “has effectively ended the catch-and-release policies that defined the Biden-era border crisis.” (Fox News: Trump hits dramatic milestone in massive departure from Biden border plan: ‘What a difference’ – 5/15/26)
• • In 2018, President Trump “signed a memorandum… ordering the end of a policy, known as ‘catch and release,’ in which illegal immigrants are released from detention while awaiting a court hearing on their status.” (Reuters: Trump signs memo ending ‘catch and release’ immigration policy – 4/6/18)
• • But by February 2021, President Biden “revived the so-called ‘catch and release’ system,” in part leading to 10.5 million illegal alien entries into the country via the southwest border. (New York Post: Biden reinstates ‘catch and release’ policy at the southern border – 2/11/21; CBP: Southwest Land Border Encounters – accessed 7/21/26; Fox News’ Bill Melugin: post on X – 8/20/24)
• Republicans in Congress secured the funding for this border success, having “set aside roughly $170 billion for immigration enforcement and border security efforts” in the Working Families Tax Cuts law, including “$46.5 billion to complete construction of the border wall” and “$4.1 billion to hire additional CBP personnel, including 3,000 more customs officers and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents.” (CBS News: Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” gives ICE unprecedented funds to ramp up mass deportation campaign – 7/10/25; U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Secretary Noem Commends President Trump and One Big Beautiful Bill Signing into Law: Historic Win for the American People and the Rule of Law – 7/4/25)
• • Every single Senate Democrat voted against the Working Families Tax Cuts law, including its transformational border security funding. (H.R. 1: Roll Call Vote #372 – 7/1/25)
• Then, to end Democrats’ historic 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, Congressional Republicans passed the Secure America Act, “a roughly $70 billion package to fund ICE and the Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump’s term.” (NBC News: Republicans pass bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the end of Trump’s term – 6/9/26; U.S. Congress: S. 2 – Secure America Act – accessed 7/21/26)
• Even before opposing final passage of the Secure America Act, Senate Democrats blocked extending funding for the DHS 17 times during their 76-day partial government shutdown and refused to fund ICE and Border Patrol through either the bipartisan appropriations process or through continuing resolutions. (S.Con.Res. 33: Roll Call Vote #105 – 4/23/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #38 – 2/12/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #39 – 2/24/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #47 – 3/5/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #54 – 3/12/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 30 – 2/12/26; The Hill: Senate Democrats block bill to fund DHS, spurning increased GOP pressure – 3/5/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 45 – 3/11/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 46 – 3/12/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 49 – 3/18/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record – Vol. 172 No. 50 – 3/19/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #59 – 3/20/26; H.R. 7147: Roll Call Vote #71 – 3/25/26; U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 172 No. 56 – 3/25/26)

MEANWHILE, DEMOCRATS ARE CLAMORING TO GET BACK TO THE DAYS OF OPEN BORDERS AND DEFUNDING LAW ENFORCEMENT

• “Unlike during Trump’s first term, it’s not just progressives taking up the ‘defund ICE’ banner. The idea is proliferating even among the more moderate and establishment wings of the party.” (Axios: Inside Democrats’ brewing war over the resurgence of “defund ICE” – 1/12/26)
• “‘Abolish ICE’ was once a rallying cry for liberal activists during the first Trump administration, but many Democratic officeholders and candidates were reluctant to go that far and alienate moderate voters.”
  • “Many Democratic Party strategists have worried the perception that the party is too lax on immigration helped Trump win the 2024 presidential race and could haunt the party in future elections, with the slogan ‘Abolish ICE’ drawing particular scrutiny.” (The Washington Post: Maine Democratic Senate hopefuls back once fringe position after ICE shooting – 7/17/26)

• Not content to just defund law enforcement and harm officers and staffers who keep our country safe, Democrats relentlessly attacked these officers and their work:
  • “Ask yourself, why don’t Republicans vote to lower those instead of giving ICE and Border Patrol, already discredited, more money.” – Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
  • “You’re here, adding $140 billion to an agency that nobody- to two, two, two groups – Border Patrol and ICE – that nobody respects in this country.” – Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
  • “I urge all of my colleagues to oppose, to strongly oppose this reconciliation bill, which is simply an effort to stuff an illegal agency like ICE at the expense of the American people.” – Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)
  • “Defund and abolish ICE.” – Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
• While the center of the Democrat Party has wholly embraced defunding law enforcement, the far-left of the party is now going even further: “The [Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)] platform additionally calls for the complete abolishment of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pardoning all immigrants, including those who have committed crimes, and defunding the Department of War.”
  • “The organization has publicly advocated for ICE to be abolished since 2018 and its current platform calls for a slew of other extreme immigration reforms, including an ‘immediate end to all deportations,’ ‘extending full voting rights to people with criminal convictions and noncitizens’ and easing restrictions on immigration control for migration between countries.”
  • “The far-left plan comes as the socialist agenda is proving to be making its way into the mainstream Democratic party as several DSA members and self-proclaimed socialists have been beating out more moderate Democrats in many of this year’s primary elections.” (Fox News: WATCH: House Dems dodge questions on socialist agenda that threatens to abolish key institutions – 7/18/26)