Last week, my Republican colleagues and I did what Democrats spent 115 days trying to prevent and ensured that resources would be available for President Trump to continue securing the border through the end of his term. I’m glad we got it done, but let’s be honest about why we were in this position in the first place.

For months, Washington Democrats put illegal immigrants before American citizens by holding funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hostage simply because they disagreed with America’s immigration laws. Their far-Left base demanded Democrats in Congress obstruct President Trump’s lawful immigration policies, and they fell in line, putting the safety of our communities at risk in the process.

During that nearly four-month standoff, our nation’s brave Border Patrol agents and ICE officers all showed up every day to do their jobs. Radical Democrats refused to fund their agencies because the truth is many prefer open borders over secure borders. That is shameful, and the people back home know it.

Missourians sent me to Washington to fight against rewarding illegal immigrants who are breaking the law and to fight in favor of President Trump’s strong border policies. And thanks to those policies, our border is now secure. Nearly 3 million illegal aliens have been deported or left voluntarily. More than 10,000 individuals with narco-terrorism ties have been prevented from entering this country. The murder rate across our nation’s largest cities plummeted last year to its lowest level since at least 1900 — the biggest one-year drop in recorded history.

The bottom line is simple: ICE and CBP are funded through January 2029, and Democrats can no longer use the safety of our communities as leverage. No more games. President Trump can now finish the job he was elected to do without Democrats standing in the way.

The families in Southeast and South Central Missouri don’t care about Washington’s excuses. They care about whether their communities are safe, whether fentanyl is being stopped before it reaches their neighborhoods, and whether the criminals ICE removes actually stay removed.

That’s what matters here, not catering to radical leftists who want to abolish border security. I am proud to fight for this funding, and proud that President Trump’s America First immigration agenda is now protected for the remainder of his term. Public safety is not a bargaining chip, and it never should have been treated as one.