Build the Wall Act of 2024

Madam President, I come to the floor today to continue this discussion of the crisis at our southern border.

When Joe Biden walked into the White House, the southern border was secure. Tragically, for our country, he then signed 94 Executive orders in his first 100 days. He rolled out the welcome mat, and millions and millions of illegal immigrants flooded into our Nation. The Democrats in Congress joined him. They joined the President. They worked with him. They aggressively rolled back Republican-led policies that had worked to keep our country safe. Our southern border is now a pipeline for illegal crossings. Since Joe Biden took office, almost 10 million illegal immigrants have invaded America.

The Democrats' uncontrolled illegal immigration strains our tax dollars; it undermines the safety of our citizens; and it endangers our communities. Hard-working American taxpayers are now paying. They are paying for housing; they are paying for healthcare; they are paying for government handouts--all for illegal immigrants. According to one study, the Democratic border crisis costs States and cities close to $450 billion each and every year.

The heaviest costs of this crisis are borne by families, by communities, and by local law enforcement. Day after day, lives are cut short or changed forever. Just 2 weeks ago, in Florida, an 11-year-old girl was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a 20-year-old illegal immigrant brought into this country under the catch-and-release program of President Biden. He is here because of this dangerous program.

The local sheriff in Florida had this to say:

The Federal Government is victimizing the people who live

in this country by letting these people in.

To my Democratic colleagues, I would say: You voted for open borders. I would ask you, What if this were your daughter or what if this were your granddaughter who had been kidnapped by an illegal immigrant brought in by catch-and-release--a 20-year-old here. Terrible. Frightening.

Fortunately, this young girl's mother was able to identify the situation, and she ran desperately to get that daughter who had been kidnapped.

We are here fighting to secure the border to make our communities safer. Democrats in this body have done nothing to secure the border. They have done nothing to stop the flood of illegal immigrants. The record by the Democrats in this body is appalling, and let me start with H.R. 2.

H.R. 2 is, of course, the House bill. It is called the Secure the Border Act of 2023. It is the strongest border security bill in our history. It completes the wall because walls work. It surges new technology to the border. It hires more Border Patrol agents and gives them a bonus. It ends catch-and-release, and it reinstates the successful plan of ``Remain in Mexico.'' If signed into law, H.R. 2 would stop the flood of illegal immigrants.

Now, the House of Representatives passed this bill, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, on May 11 of 2023. Well, that was over a year ago. The Senate majority leader refuses to bring this House-passed bill to the floor, and he has been blocking the bill for over a year.

Of course, it is not just blocking the Secure the Border Act that is the problem. Democrats will not vote for real border security measures. For 3 years now, open border Democrats--each and every one of them-- have rejected solutions aimed at fixing the border crisis not once, not twice but in 22 different recorded votes. Democrats banded together to say no to finishing the wall, no to ending catch-and-release, and no to restoring the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy. They blocked the Laken Riley Act.

Meanwhile, they have embraced policies that have tried to smooth the flow of illegal immigrants when people all across America are saying: Stop this flood. This includes sending illegal immigrants cash payments paid with taxpayer dollars. The Democrats continue to fund sanctuary cities. For 3 years, my Democratic colleagues have seemed to welcome the crisis at our southern border. They now want to run away from their record, and we know why. It is because election day is less than 6 months away, and they can read the polls. Democrats can run, but they cannot hide.

The majority leader recently said that the situation at the border is unacceptable. I am not sure he actually believes that. After all, one of his first comments after the 2022 election was that he endorsed amnesty for illegal immigrants. The majority leader said at the time that opening our country to illegal immigrants is ``the only way we are going to have a great future in America.'' It is ``the only way.'' That is what the majority leader said. It is ``the only way we are going to have a great future in America''--amnesty for illegal immigrants.

The Democrats have no desire to secure the border. Every single Democrat

in this Capitol is responsible for the drugs, the deaths, and the destruction brought on by the invasion of our Nation by illegal immigrants.

This is a cycle of suffering that Senate Republicans are determined to stop. This week, I introduced a bill called the Build the Wall Act. We know that the border wall works. My proposal finishes the wall. It pays for it by clawing back unused COVID funding. This wall is absolutely vital to our Nation's security.

You know, once upon a time, Senator Schumer actually supported a border wall. Many of his Democratic colleagues supported a border wall. When Joe Biden was then-Senator Joe Biden--and I served with him in this body--he actually voted for a border wall. They have all flip- flopped, and we know why--politics, plain and simple.

To my Democratic colleagues, I say this: You are responsible for innocent Americans being victimized by illegal immigrants in communities all across the Nation. If Democrats are serious about securing the border, they should start by voting for a policy that actually works and is paid for. That is the reason to vote for the bill I have introduced, the Build the Wall Act.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate resume legislative session and proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 4392, which is at the desk.

Madam President, let me be very, very brief in just pointing out that this bill calls for using unspent COVID money, specifically as a result of the COVID pandemic that hit our Nation, money sent to be spent for that. It does seem to me and to probably just about every American that we are way beyond that period of time, and money designated for that purpose has not yet been spent. It should be readily available for a project like this.

I would also note that my friend and colleague who is on the floor was, along with President Biden and Senator Schumer, one of those who did vote on September 29, 2006, for a bill, at the time, that was called the Secure Fence Act of 2006.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, reserving the right to object, I share our colleague's view that the southern border is serious business. I strongly favor smart, effective policies to deal with it.

The reason I can't support what he has proposed is that defunding infrastructure does not make sense, and that has long been the position of the Senate.

The money that is being discussed here has been supported unanimously over three particular initiatives here in the Congress. The authors of this, and I would say this specifically, have been Senator Cornyn, a member of the leadership on the other side of the aisle, and our colleague from California, Senator Padilla.

Let me repeat that. We have gone through this three times with strong bipartisan support from Republican leadership--our colleague from Texas, Senator Cornyn--and Senator Padilla from California. The reason why is that we have said we can come up with smart policies on the border and also maintain our infrastructure.

Unfortunately, the funding that my colleague is talking about would harm the effort to ensure we build the roads and the bridges and that we deal with lead pipes in schools. That is what we are talking about. That is why the States and the localities have been such strong supporters of this.

My colleague serves on the Finance Committee. There are a number of areas where we have worked together. I will note that this week in the Finance Committee, a number of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have talked about how they want to generate more growth--a smart idea. Put me down as interested and wanting to work in a bipartisan way.

Well, the reality is, you can't generate big-league economic growth with little-league infrastructure, and that, unfortunately, is what is going on here. Where we agree that we ought to be tackling a very serious issue--the southern border--we disagree on the method of funding that effort.

I think defunding infrastructure is the end result of what my colleague is talking about, and it turns upside down the bipartisan coalition that has allowed us to use that money at the State and local levels with Republican leadership and our friend from California.

So that is why I have to object. Therefore, I do object this evening.

Madam President, just very briefly, having participated in these debates--this specific discussion now, on several occasions-- again, my friend and I just have a difference of opinion. Senator Cornyn and Senator Padilla have repeatedly talked about this being for the roads and bridges and dealing with lead pipes in schools. That is so central to the brighter future we all--Democrats and Republicans-- want for our country.

So as we wrap up, I want it understood that I share my colleague's view about how serious the southern border is. What we differ on is how we are going to pay for it. And defunding infrastructure--which Senator Cornyn and Senator Padilla set out to do, and I think in a very smart way--is not the way to go.

I yield the floor.