Marsha Blackburn: “thank you for the recognition and opportunity to speak with my colleagues about an issue that I think is so incredibly…”

“thank you for the recognition and opportunity to speak with my colleagues about an issue that I think is so incredibly important. We just heard the Senator from Vermont discuss the issue at the southern border. I made a return trip--one of many I have made to the southern border over the past decade--this past Friday. I have to tell you, I thought this situation was just a terrible situation a decade ago. As I have continued to visit and work on issues that deal with illegal immigration, illegal aliens, working on immigration reform over the past decade, many times with great frustration because we cannot achieve bipartisan agreement, I saw a situation on the southern border this trip that was far worse than I ever could have imagined. In the middle of all of this are some very brave Border Patrol agents, ICE agents, DHS agents, Coast Guard that are there providing healthcare--they are carrying out their job every single day. I am grateful to them for their service. I am so impressed by their resolve to protect this Nation--to protect it. There is a lesson we could learn from these Border Patrol agents. As they go out, underfunded, disrespected, not knowing what they are going to encounter, there is a lesson that every single American could learn. These men and women are dedicated. They show up. They do their job. They value--they value--citizenship in this country. They value this Nation's sovereignty.…”