For four long years, Americans watched in disbelief as President Joe Biden gutted our nation’s border security. On his first day in office, President Biden undid by Executive Order many of President Trump’s most effective border policies, like Remain in Mexico or building the wall on our Southern Border. The Biden Administration refused to deport dangerous illegal immigrant criminals who were convicted of crimes while living in the United States. Meanwhile, bills were proposed by his allies in Congress to give amnesty to illegal immigrants. After watching this, the American people were stunned when Joe Biden declared that there was nothing he could do to secure the border unless Congress passed new legislation. It remains one of the most harmful aspects of his presidency.

Fortunately, the American people chose Republicans to lead the House in 2023 and we were able to prevent the worst excesses of these proposals. And in 2024, the American people chose President Donald J. Trump to bring back a golden age for America – in particular, by restoring law and order on our border. On Day One of his presidency, President Trump restored many of his strong border security policies. Remain in Mexico, which requires non-Mexican individuals seeking asylum to wait in Mexico while their claims are resolved, was reinstated. He deployed troops to the Southern Border. He ended Biden-era refugee resettlement programs. He nominated strong leaders to implement his policies, like Governor Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security and Tom Homan as Border Czar. But perhaps most significantly, he started deporting illegal immigrants again – particularly dangerous criminals who are roaming our streets because of lax enforcement from the Biden Justice Department on woke prosecutors in big cities.

To help with deportations, the Trump Administration has been dealing directly with Central and South American countries where so many of the illegal border crossings originated. One particular success story has been cooperation with the Bukele Administration in El Salvador, which has agreed to take some of the most violent criminals from our streets into the CECOT terrorist confinement center, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. With this agreement, the Trump Administration has been able to send hundreds of individuals, a large number of whom were associated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and MS-13.

On a recent trade mission to El Salvador, I was able to visit the CECOT prison and see the conditions for myself. I personally spoke with two violent criminals, both MS-13 gang members, who had until recently been in Los Angeles and Virginia. I felt gratitude towards President Trump for taking such strong action to protect our country’s citizens and ensure these dangerous individuals no longer pose a threat to our communities. I have no doubt that with CECOT’s reputation for housing some of the most notorious criminals in our hemisphere, it will absolutely deter future illegal immigration from those who seek to commit criminal activity in our country.

The results of these policies speak for themselves. In February, border crossings fell to approximately 8,300 illegal migrant crossings – the lowest level in 25 years. In recently-announced data for March, crossings fell even lower, to approximately 7,000 crossings. That’s a 94% decrease from the same time one year ago and speaks to the effectiveness of these policies. I look forward to continuing to support President Trump’s strong border policies and continuing to make America safe again.