Republicans Tout Border Success Under Trump, Credit ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’-llllll
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) led a delegation of GOP senators and candidates to the U.S.-Mexico border Friday, declaring that the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” has given border agents the tools and authority they need to “take back control” of the southern frontier — and that voters should reward that success in November’s midterm elections.
Speaking alongside Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez, and several Republican hopefuls, Thune said the calm now seen along the Texas border is “a testament to what happens when Washington finally backs law enforcement instead of tying its hands.”
“A year ago, President Trump hadn’t even been sworn in yet. We were still suffering,” Thune said. “The American people were under the Biden open border policies.”
Thune, who helped shepherd the sweeping border and anti-fraud package through Congress last spring, warned that continued vigilance — and continued Republican control of Congress — would be required to maintain security gains.
“One of the things that’s really important to maintaining the progress that’s been made here at the southern border is for us to protect and preserve our majority in the United States Senate,” he said. “Hopefully even expand upon it — and to make sure that we maintain that majority in the House of Representatives.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a signature Trump-era measure, combined funding for wall construction, manpower increases, and expanded deportation authority with broader anti-fraud and verification systems for federal aid programs. The law also tightened the rules governing state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Sen. Cornyn said Texas alone received roughly $11 billion in border-related reimbursements under the legislation — “compared to nothing under President Biden.”
“Texas carried the burden for years,” Cornyn said. “Now, under President Trump, we finally have a partner in Washington who’s willing to secure this border and back our law enforcement.”
Paul Perez, who leads the National Border Patrol Council, credited both Trump and congressional Republicans for what he called a “complete turnaround” after four years of chaos.
“From day one, President Trump took the handcuffs off the Border Patrol agents and allowed them to do their jobs,” Perez said. “Under the Biden administration, millions of people crossed the border illegally. They were unvetted and released into this country. The Biden administration not only encouraged it — they facilitated it.”
Perez said that since the enactment of the new GOP-led law, morale among agents has rebounded. “This administration and this Congress actually listen,” he said. “We finally have the funding, the support, and the mandate to protect this country like it’s never been protected before.”
Republican lawmakers at the event said the transformation along the southern border — now seeing record deportations and the lowest illegal crossing rate in a decade — should become a centerpiece of the GOP’s midterm message.
“The American people wanted results,” Thune said. “President Trump delivered those results.”
Still, Thune acknowledged that the U.S. faces the long-term challenge of undoing what he called “the chaos” of prior policies. “We still have to clean up the mess,” he said.
When asked by The Washington Times whether Republicans would pursue legislation to penalize states that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, Thune said it was under consideration.
“I think it’s always a real possibility if you’ve got local officials who are circumventing or flouting federal law,” he said. “There are ways, obviously, through the power of the purse and resources that every state benefits enormously from with federal funding coming into their state. I’m sure there are things you could look at.”
“You could see legislation to ensure that people benefiting from federal programs are who they say they are,” Thune said. “There have been a lot of conversations around biometric testing or confirming IDs in some way — making sure these programs aren’t being gamed and abused by individuals, groups, or even entire states.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar Intensifies Criticism of Federal Immigration Enforcement
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota sharply escalated her criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations on Monday, accusing federal agents of treating Minneapolis as an occupying force and again calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s resignation or impeachment.
In remarks to constituents in Minneapolis, Omar repeatedly described the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal officers in the city as an inappropriate use of government authority, saying the situation has created fear among local residents. Omar said Minneapolis is “currently under occupation” and cited concerns about schools, hospitals and daily life as evidence of what she called harmful federal intervention.
“We do not exaggerate when we say we have schools where two-thirds of the students are afraid to go to school,” Omar said. “We do not exaggerate when we say we have people who are afraid to go to the hospital because our hospitals have occupying paramilitary forces.”
Omar referenced two recent fatalities during federal immigration operations in Minneapolis — the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — and argued those incidents underscored the need for new leadership at DHS. In her remarks, she blamed senior White House advisers for shaping the administration’s immigration policies.
“When we say it is time for Kristi Noem to go, we mean it now,” Omar added. “And there needs to be accountability for the architect of the terror we are facing in Minneapolis and so many other cities, which is Stephen Miller.”
Omar’s comments follow an appearance on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, where she reiterated those positions and broadened her critique to include senior administration officials. In that interview, she said Noem should resign or face impeachment, echoing earlier statements from House Democratic leadership. Omar also repeated criticism of Miller, a senior White House adviser on immigration policy, calling him a “copycat of the Nazis” and suggesting he should be prosecuted.
Her remarks also tied national Republican rhetoric on immigration to broader social tensions, asserting that aggressive enforcement language has “created anger” that can lead to confrontations with Somali immigrants and other community members in Minnesota.
Omar’s public criticism comes amid the ongoing federal immigration operation known as Operation Metro Surge. Federal agents have been deployed to Minneapolis to apprehend illegal immigrants with criminal convictions, drawing protests and heightened scrutiny from local officials and advocacy groups.
Democratic lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), have called for increased oversight of DHS and ICE policies as part of broader negotiations over long-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Jeffries has publicly stated that Noem should be impeached if she does not resign, and Schumer has called for additional conditions on immigration enforcement in appropriations legislation.
In response to increased political pressure, DHS has taken steps to increase transparency in its operations. Earlier this week, Secretary Kristi Noem announced that body-worn cameras will be issued to all federal immigration enforcement officers deployed in Minneapolis as an immediate measure, with plans to expand the program nationwide as funding becomes available. “Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis,” Noem wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Federal officials have said that some Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers present during the Jan. 24 shooting of Pretti were already equipped with body cameras, though full footage has not been released. Officials have not yet clarified whether ICE officers were wearing cameras during the earlier fatal encounter involving Good.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded to Noem’s announcement by saying body cameras should have been in place prior to the deaths of Pretti and Good, who were tragically killed while interfering with ICE law enforcement operations.
