Northeast South Dakota News

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

Thune contrasted current numbers with those under the Biden administration, noting that encounters at the southern border have fallen to 7,832 in July. He recalled that during the previous administration, monthly encounters often exceeded 100,000 and sometimes reached over 200,000. In one month in 2023, he said there were more than 300,000 encounters.

“300,000.

“In just one month.

“And many of those individuals were processed and then allowed to take up residence in the United States.

“Well, no longer.

“Under President Trump, illegal border crossings have slowed to a trickle.

“And border communities that were once overwhelmed are quiet,” Thune stated.

He cited the El Paso Sector as an example of this change. According to Thune, agents in that sector are now encountering about 40 to 50 people per day compared to approximately 2,700 per day previously. The number of “known gotaways”—individuals seen but not apprehended—has also dropped from a daily average of 400 last summer to nine currently.

“The current daily average in the El Paso Sector is nine.

“Nine.

“Nine known gotaways per day.

“Last summer it was 400 per day in that sector,” Thune said during his remarks.

Thune credited these shifts to enforcement measures taken by President Trump’s administration. He mentioned ongoing construction of the border wall and efforts to arrest and deport criminal immigrants as key actions undertaken since Trump took office. Thune also referenced legislative steps taken by Republicans through what he called the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which provides funding for additional Border Patrol and ICE agents as well as increased detention space and deportation capacity. The bill also includes funding for more immigration judges to address case backlogs worsened by earlier policies.

He criticized prior approaches: “The open-border policies of the past were a danger for everyone.”

Thune discussed broader impacts of past immigration policies on law enforcement resources and local communities both at and away from the border. He highlighted concerns about human smuggling operations profiting from lax security: “In fact, Mr. President, The New York Times reported in 2022 that human smuggling had become a $13 billion business for the cartels – ballooning from $500 million just a few years earlier.”

According to Thune’s remarks, new security measures have cost cartels an estimated $1 billion since early this year and given law enforcement more ability to target criminal networks affecting migrants and Americans alike.

“Mr. President, we have a responsibility to keep America safe,” he said toward the conclusion of his speech. “And that starts with security at our borders.”

He thanked frontline personnel involved in enforcing immigration laws: “And I’m grateful to the men and women on the front lines carrying out the important work of enforcing the law and making America safer.”