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Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this week, Senator Lankford and several colleagues continue their work to finalize the most substantial border security policy in 30 years. This agreement would come not a moment too soon. Over the past 3 years, we have watched the flood of illegal immigration tick past 6.7 million encounters--6.7 million since President Biden took office and an especially alarming surge just last year. December reportedly saw the highest monthly total for border encounters on record.

The President's open borders have meant booming business for the cartels who specialize in trafficking humans and smuggling drugs and far harsher realities for American communities grappling with lethal fentanyl and the thousands of people who have died trying to cross.

This is a crisis, whether the Washington Democrats are willing to call it one or not. The American people recognize what CBP and ICE are up against, even if their Commander in Chief does not. And the entire world understands what is at stake here in the Senate in the coming weeks.

America's national security begins with securing and maintaining our borders. It is a matter of basic sovereignty.

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