Wyoming’s senior senator, John Barrasso, took to the Senate floor this week with a message that could be heard from Washington all the way to the base of the Tetons:
Republicans say the border crisis era is over, and they’re crediting President Trump and a new wave of GOP-backed enforcement laws for the turnaround.
Barrasso framed the moment as a full-scale reversal of what he called “Joe Biden’s open-border disaster.” His speech followed a string of high-profile incidents involving immigrants accused of violent crimes, tragedies he says never should have happened.
One of those stories centered on 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, a member of the West Virginia National Guard, murdered the day before Thanksgiving by an Afghan national who, Barrasso argued, entered the country through lax vetting. He pointed to several other cases across Georgia, Maryland, and beyond as part of a pattern he believes highlights the stakes of border policy.
“The Turnstile Is Closed”
Barrasso didn’t hold back in describing the past few years. Under Biden, he said, the border operated like a “New York City subway turnstile, hop on, no questions.”
He claimed that up to 10,000 illegal immigrants were routinely released into the country each day during that period, including criminals, gang members, and traffickers.
Now, he says that era has ended.
According to Barrasso:
- Zero illegal immigrants have been released into the interior over the past six months
- The Laken Riley Act, the first law signed by President Trump in 2025, requires the detention and removal of illegal immigrants who commit crimes
- Interior enforcement is up
- Immigration court backlogs are finally shrinking for the first time in nearly two decades
He also noted that 70 percent of current ICE arrests involve individuals charged with or convicted of crimes inside the U.S.
Record Spending, More Agents, and the “Finished” Wall
Barrasso highlighted what he called the largest border security investment in American history, a $170 billion package passed by Republicans this summer and signed by President Trump.
The law funds:
- Completion of the border wall
- $75 billion for ICE
- Hiring and bonuses for Border Patrol agents
- Expanded deportation resources
Barrasso blasted Democrats for voting against the package, describing the split as one between a party trying to secure the border and a party offering “free healthcare for illegal immigrants.”
Fraud, Terrorism, and Minnesota in the Spotlight
The senator also pointed to a major fraud case unfolding in Minnesota, where federal investigators say a billion-dollar scam siphoned taxpayer money into fake childcare and community programs, with some funds reportedly ending up with Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda–affiliated terror group.
Barrasso blamed what he called years of lax oversight under Democratic leadership in the state, and credited the new Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for launching sweeping prosecutions.
The case, he said, is “breath-taking in depth and scale.”
What Americans Want, According to Polling
Barrasso cited recent Harvard-Harris polling showing:
- 80 percent of Americans support deporting illegal immigrants who commit crimes
- 70 percent of Democrats agree
- 70 percent of Americans support closing the border with stricter security
- 75 percent want stronger efforts to fight fraud and abuse
“This isn’t complicated,” Barrasso said. “Americans oppose illegal immigration. They support border security. They want criminal illegal immigrants removed.”
Why It Matters Here in Wyoming
Wyoming isn’t a border state, but Barrasso often reminds locals that drugs, trafficking networks, and criminal activity don’t check elevation maps on the way in. He argues that federal policy, good or bad, always finds its way to small towns, rural counties, and yes, even resort valleys known more for moose jams than border debates.
And while Jackson residents may be more focused on snow totals, housing prices, and which ski lot is already full, Barrasso says national security starts with the border, and Republicans are now “delivering what Americans voted for.”
His full remarks can be viewed here:
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