President Trump’s 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill' secures our border

For four years, under the radical policies of the Joe Biden administration, our border was opened to the entire world and illegal immigration was not only exacerbated but encouraged.

Drug cartels sneaked through the cracks, criminals entered with no questions asked, individuals with known connections to terrorism broke our laws, and millions of illegal immigrants crossed our border without even a slap on the wrist.

To make matters worse, millions of “gotaways” — those who were not apprehended at the border and whose identities are unknown — found their way to communities in every corner of our country.

This open-border agenda pushed by Biden and liberals in his administration was catastrophic.

Deadly substances like fentanyl, which is largely manufactured in China, and other drugs have poisoned our children and cut lives far too short.

Tragically, American women like Rachel Morin, a loving mother of five from Maryland, and Laken Riley, a young nursing student from Georgia, were senselessly murdered by illegal immigrants.

Families have grieved the loss of loved ones because Biden and the Democrats refused to secure our border, defeat the drug traffickers, and keep our communities safe.

Fortunately, the era of lawlessness, disarray, and chaos at our border ended when the Donald Trump administration began.

Virtually overnight, President Trump locked down our border by reversing Biden’s failed policies, continuing construction of the border wall, and deploying additional personnel to patrol the border.

He also reinstated the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy, put an end to “catch and release,” and designated the drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

With these America First policies in place, illegal border encounters plummeted. On Feb. 22, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded just 200 encounters — the lowest single-day total in 15 years, and in March, border apprehensions fell by 94 percent from the previous year, which was the lowest figure registered since 2000.

The numbers confirm that President Trump’s decisive actions immediately secured our border, signaling to Iowans and Americans nationwide that he would do everything in his power to protect our kids, families and communities.

In conjunction with President Trump’s work, there is nothing more significant that we can do to permanently lock down our border than get our “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” which I voted for a few weeks ago, signed into law. It is the most consequential piece of legislation for border security in our nation’s history.

This “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” dedicates nearly $47 billion to finish the border wall and construct needed river and vehicle barriers and allocates additional funding to hire 10,000 new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, 5,000 new customs officers and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents.

This investment also includes signing and retention bonuses for Border Patrol agents who work very long hours and put their lives on the line every day to defend our national security. This legislation further deploys technologies like sensors, cameras and other mechanisms to identify illegal activity and combat drug cartels and sex traffickers.

Alongside these vital border provisions, President Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” protects programs like SNAP and Medicaid for the most vulnerable among us by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse from our social safety nets.

That means kicking 1.4 million illegal immigrants off Medicaid, preventing illegal immigrants from using SNAP, and ensuring that able-bodied Americans who can work do work if they receive taxpayer-funded benefits.

These common-sense reforms ensure that American citizens — like those with disabilities, pregnant mothers, children and others — can access quality health care and put food on the table.

These programs are meant for Americans in need — not illegal immigrants or individuals who are well enough to work but refuse to.

Under the Trump administration, our border is the most secure it has ever been.

From deploying National Guard troops to stop the dangerous riots in Los Angeles to signing into law the Laken Riley Act, which includes my bill, Sarah’s Law, President Trump has prioritized American citizens over violent criminals and illegal immigrants.

Now, by passing his “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” we can continue President Trump’s historic work to close our border, defeat the drug cartels and end the scourge of illegal immigration.

This op-ed was originally published in the Northwest Iowa Review on July 7, 2025.