Rushmore State News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) addressed the Senate on recent changes at the southern border, highlighting a significant decline in illegal crossings compared to previous years.

Thune noted that encounters at the southern border have dropped to as low as 7,832 in July. He contrasted this with figures from the Biden administration, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 100,000 illegal immigrant encounters per month, with some months exceeding 200,000 and one month in 2023 surpassing 300,000.

"Mr. President, if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that things look very different at the southern border these days than they did a year ago," Thune said. "Encounters at the southern border have dropped precipitously – to as low as just 7,832 encounters in July."

He attributed these changes to policies under President Trump: "Under President Trump, illegal border crossings have slowed to a trickle. And border communities that were once overwhelmed are quiet."

Thune cited the El Paso Sector as an example of progress. According to Thune, agents there now encounter about 40 to 50 people per day compared to around 2,700 per day previously. The number of "known gotaways"—individuals seen but not apprehended by Border Patrol—has also decreased from a daily average of 400 last summer to nine currently.

"Our laws are being enforced," Thune stated. "The wall is being built. And criminal illegal immigrants who had taken up residence in our country are being arrested, detained, and deported."

He credited Congress's support through funding measures: "That includes funding to finish the border wall and hire more Border Patrol and ICE agents, plus additional detention space and deportation capacity." He also mentioned increased resources for hiring immigration judges to address case backlogs.

Thune criticized previous policies: "The open-border policies of the past were a danger for everyone... It placed an incredible burden on our Border Patrol agents... And it placed a big burden on border cities – and non-border cities as well."

Referencing reporting from The New York Times in 2022, Thune said human smuggling had grown into a $13 billion business for cartels but that new security measures have cost them an estimated $1 billion since early this year.

"President Trump takes that responsibility seriously," Thune concluded. "He’s acted swiftly to turn the disaster at the southern border around. And Congress has acted to support that mission and make the success we’ve seen these last few months the new normal."