It’s difficult to overstate how dramatically the situation at the southern border has improved over the past year. In December, there were 10,000 total encounters at the southern border. Compare that to 96,000 encounters the previous December under President Biden, or more than 300,000 in December 2023. After years of crisis, the border is finally secure.

I was recently at the southern border to see for myself the progress that’s been made in just one year under President Trump. What I saw could not be more different from my two visits during the Biden administration. In early 2021, I visited a facility that was already operating at 16 times its allotted capacity soon after President Biden took office. And when I returned in 2023, I heard from Border Patrol agents who had been dealing with a border crisis for two years and were in desperate need of resources and support from the Biden administration – support that never came.

The situation at the southern border today is a complete turnaround from the Biden-era crisis. Border Patrol agents I spoke to on my recent trip told me that the flood of illegal immigrants has slowed to a trickle. Law enforcement officers are being supported in their work and allowed to do the job they were hired to do to protect our border. And the data speaks for itself. Order has been restored, the crisis is behind us, and our country is much safer for it.

I’m grateful to President Trump and his administration for wasting no time securing our border, and I’m proud of the work Republicans have done in Congress to ensure that we sustain that progress in the years to come. Last year, Republicans made a generational investment in border security. We funded completion of the border wall, new technology and surveillance equipment, and expanded detention capacity. We also supported hiring additional Border Patrol agents and expanded partnerships with local law enforcement to enforce immigration law. These resources help law enforcement do its job, keep the border secure, and deter illegal immigration.

During my recent visit, border agents repeatedly emphasized that they are already seeing positive impacts from these investments, particularly with additional personnel and counter-drone technology. Thanks to new technology, Border Patrol can take over or destroy drones operated by cartels at the border, limiting the cartels’ surveillance abilities and capacity to transport dangerous items into our country. And that’s just one example of how Republicans’ landmark legislation is strengthening border security and making America safer.

I believe that we are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws, and those laws need to be enforced. President Trump has restored law and order at America’s borders, and I’m proud that congressional Republicans have provided the resources necessary to sustain these important efforts. A safer America starts at our borders, and Republicans will continue to make border security a priority.