Thanks to President Trump, the United States now has the most secure border in modern history. After years of chaos and record-breaking illegal crossings under President Biden, President Trump has taken action to restore order, strengthen enforcement, and put the safety of the American people first. The results are undeniable.

Unlawful crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border this year have dropped to the lowest levels since the early 1970s. In June alone, Border Patrol recorded just over six thousand apprehensions at the southwest border for the entire month with ZERO released into the interior of the United States. Under the Biden Administration, the southern border would see more crossings in a single day.

To understand how far we have come, it is important to remember how much of a failure the previous administration was when it came to protecting our homeland. Under President Biden, the border was in complete chaos. During the four years Biden was in the Oval Office, more than ten million migrants crossed the southern border, and our law enforcement, our communities, and American families paid the price.

The consequences were devastating. Overdoses of fentanyl became the leading cause of death for Americans aged eighteen to forty-five. While deadly drugs poured across the border, families across Missouri and the nation suffered unimaginable loss.

President Trump campaigned on not just managing this crisis but completely eliminating it. Today, thanks to President Trump and the One, Big, Beautiful Bill – which included the largest one-time investment in border security in American history – our southern border is secure.

But President Trump has not stopped at just securing the border, he is taking on the problem of illegal immigration and drug trafficking at the source. The Trump Administration has taken bold steps to designate the Mexican cartels – who manufacture fentanyl and profit in human misery – as foreign terrorist organizations. Under pressure from the Trump administration, Mexico deployed thousands of National Guard troops to its northern border to combat fentanyl and migrant trafficking. This is the kind of decisive leadership that protects American families.

The president has also held foreign governments accountable for turning a blind eye, while cracking down on the criminal networks that fuel both illegal immigration and the drug trade. Additionally, the United States has begun targeted air strikes that have eliminated narco-terrorist bound for the United States. These strikes should be a message to any would-be narco-terrorist that the United States will not tolerate the smuggling of drugs into our nation.

The people of southern Missouri understand the value of security and the importance of a government that puts its own citizens first. Rural law enforcement, small towns, and farming communities feel the impact of border policy more than most. When drugs pour across the border, they do not stay at the border. They reach our schools, our workplaces, and our homes. When millions enter illegally, taxpayers and small communities bear the burden. A secure border protects every American family, no matter how far they live from Texas or Arizona.

I am grateful that America is once again led by a president who takes this threat seriously. President Trump is restoring law and order, strengthening the border, confronting cartels, and defending the safety of our citizens. House Republicans will continue to support that mission and ensure that American families are always put first.