MUSIC (00:00):
... mountain mama.
(00:10)
Take me home, country roads.
(00:11)
Take me home, down country roads.
(00:11)
Take me home, down country roads.
(00:52)
There's nothing left to say and nothing to do.
(00:56)
This house is lonely now I'm here without you. So I sit and I wait for the sun.
(01:10)
The streets are crowded and the lights are so bright.
(01:14)
Another Cincinnati Saturday night and I hate what that has become.
(01:16)
And I've been thinking that I should go.
(01:16)
'Cause if I don't leave now then I'm never gonna leave Ohio, Lord.
(01:16)
And that's a chance that I just can't take.
(01:16)
Now that I'm getting older.
(01:16)
I thought that we would set the city on fire.
(02:20)
But if we stick around, we'll surely expire.
(02:23)
As our dreams slip right through our hands.
(02:24)
Lately, I've been learning more about love.
(02:24)
From a precious heart that cares about us.
(02:24)
I think she belongs where I stand.
(02:24)
And I've been thinking that I should go.
(02:24)
'Cause if I don't leave now then I'm never gonna leave Ohio, Lord.
(02:24)
And that's a chance that I just can't take.
(02:24)
Now that I'm getting older.
(02:24)
And I've been thinking that we should go.
(02:24)
'Cause if we don't leave now then we're never gonna leave Ohio, Lord.
(02:24)
And that's a chance that we just can't take.
(02:24)
Now we're all getting older.
(02:24)
Been flying solo for so long.
(04:50)
Nobody's singing a harmony.
(04:53)
Up there just me and my shadow.
(04:56)
No base, no guitar, no tambourine. And I found you like a melody.
(05:00)
You were singing in the same key as me.
(05:06)
We had 'em dancing in the streets.
(05:08)
I don't wanna be a one man band.
(05:11)
I don't wanna be a rolling stone alone.
(05:14)
Putting miles on a run-down van.
(05:17)
Baby, we can take our own show on the road.
(05:20)
I'll lay down the beat, you'll carry the tune.
(05:24)
We'll get tattoos, and we'll trash hotel rooms.
(05:27)
Baby, take my hand. I don't wanna be a one man band.
(05:59)
No.
(05:59)
Pair of boots and a sack of clothes.
(06:03)
Free and easy down the road I go.
(06:06)
Hangin' memories on the high line poles.
(06:10)
Free and easy down the road I go.
(06:15)
Free and easy down the road I go.
(06:19)
Ragweed's rockin' on the radio. Free and easy down the road I go.
(06:33)
So I keep rollin' like an old banjo. Free and easy down the road I go.
(07:20)
Got the sun shinin' on me like a big spotlight.
(07:20)
So I know everything is gonna be alright.
(07:20)
Ain't no tellin' where the wind might blow.
(07:20)
Free and easy down the road I go.
(07:20)
Livin' life like a Sunday stroll.
(07:27)
Free and easy down the road I go.
(07:28)
Free and easy down the road I go.
(07:42)
If you only get to go around one time.
(07:42)
I'm gonna sit back and try to enjoy the ride.
(07:42)
I could make a million or wind up broke.
(08:10)
Free and easy down the road I go.
(08:15)
Can't take it with you when you go.
(08:18)
So free and easy down the road I go.
(08:22)
Someday I know it's gonna take me home.
(09:12)
So free and easy down the road I go.
(09:13)
Free and easy down the road I go, yeah.
(09:13)
The kids screaming, phone ringing.
(09:16)
Dog barking at the mailman.
(09:18)
Bringing that stack of bills, overdue.
(09:23)
Good morning, baby, how are you?
(09:25)
Got a half hour, a quick shower.
(09:29)
Take a drink of milk but the milk's gone sour.
(09:32)
My funny face makes you laugh.
(09:36)
Twist the top on and I put it back.
(09:37)
There goes the washing machine.
(09:37)
Baby, don't kick it.
(09:37)
Promise I'll fix it.
(09:37)
Long about a million other things.
(09:37)
Well, it's ok, it's so nice.
(09:37)
It's just another day in paradise.
(09:37)
Well, there's no place that I'd rather be.
(09:37)
Well, it's two hearts and one dream. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
(10:20)
And I ask the Lord every night, ooh.
(10:20)
For just another day in paradise.
(10:20)
Friday, you're late.
(10:20)
I guess we'll never make our dinner date.
(10:31)
At the restaurant, you start to cry.
(10:35)
Baby, we'll just improvise.
(10:38)
Well, plan B looks like.
(10:41)
Dominoes' pizza in the candlelight. Then we'll tippy toe to our room.
(11:06)
Make a little love that's overdue.
(11:06)
But somebody had a bad dream.
(11:06)
Mama and daddy.
(11:06)
Can me and my teddy.
(11:06)
Come in to sleep in between?
(11:06)
Yeah, it's ok, it's so nice.
(11:08)
Just another day in paradise.
(11:09)
Well, there's no place that I'd rather be.
(11:09)
Well, it's two hearts and one dream.
(11:09)
I wouldn't trade it for anything.
(12:59)
And I ask the Lord every night, ooh.
(12:59)
For just another day in paradise.
(12:59)
Oh, well, it's ok, it's so nice.
(12:59)
Just another day in paradise.
(12:59)
Well, there's no place that I'd rather be, yeah.
(12:59)
There's two hearts and one dream.
(12:59)
I wouldn't trade it for anything.
(12:59)
And I ask the Lord every night, ooh.
(13:03)
For just another day in paradise.
(13:03)
For just another day in paradise, oh yeah.
(13:03)
Well, it's the kids screaming, the phone ringing.
(13:03)
Just another day, yeah.
(13:03)
Just another day in paradise.
(13:03)
Well, it's Friday, you're late.
(13:03)
Oh, yeah.
(13:03)
Paradise.
(13:03)
Yeah, yeah.
(13:03)
It's just another day in paradise.
(13:03)
Paradise.
(13:03)
I never saw the end in sight.
(13:07)
Fools are kind of blind.
(13:11)
Thought everything was going alright.
(13:14)
But I was running out of time.
(13:15)
'Cause you had one foot out the door.
(13:22)
I swear I didn't see.
(13:26)
But if you're really going away.
(13:29)
Here's some final words from me.
(13:34)
Baby, write this down.
(13:52)
Take a little note.
(13:52)
To remind you in case you didn't know.
(13:52)
Tell yourself I love you and I don't want you to go.
(13:52)
Write this down.
(13:52)
Take my words and read 'em every day.
(13:53)
Keep 'em close by, don't you let 'em fade away.
(13:57)
So you'll remember what I forgot to
MUSIC (14:02):
Forgot to say, write this down.
(14:04)
I sign it at the bottom of the page. I swear under oath, because every single word is true and I think you need to know. So use it as a bookmark. Stick it on your refrigerator door. Hang in a picture frame up above the mantel where you'll see it for sure. Baby, write this down, take a little note to remind you in case you didn't know. Tell yourself I love you and I don't want you to go. Write this down. And take my words and read them every day. Keep them close by, don't you let them fade away. So you'll remember what I forgot to say. Write this down. You can find a chisel, I can find a stone. Folks will be reading these words, long after we're gone. Baby write this down. Take a little note. To remind you in case you didn't know. Tell yourself I love you and I don't want you to go. Write this down.
(15:11)
And take my words and read them every day. Keep them close by, don't you let them fade away. So you'll remember what I forgot to say. Write this down. I love you and I don't want you to go.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Please welcome president of the National Border Patrol Council, Paul Perez.
Paul Perez (16:42):
Good morning everybody. It's great to be here in sunny Southern Arizona, a place where under the Biden administration, there was complete chaos, utter destruction, and a huge chaotic invasion of our country. And as President Trump has said many times, we didn't need any new laws, all we needed was a new president. Because of the efforts from this administration under the leadership of Secretary Noem, what we have today across the entire Southwest border and the northern border is the most secure border in the history of this country. I've been doing this job over 28 years and I can tell you, working under five presidents, we've never had the support that we have from an administration and we've never had a more secure border. And it's because of the men and women that come in every day and are allowed to do the job that they were hired to do.
(17:47)
Something that for the four years of the Biden administration, we longed for. And because we longed for it, we enjoy doing it now. Every day we come to work and want to go and make sure that every citizen of this county, every citizen of this state and every other state in this country is safe because of the effort and the job that everybody does to make sure that can happen. And again, we couldn't have done it without the support of an administration. Having been there for those four years of the Biden administration, I can tell you the morale is at its highest. We've got more applicants for the Border Patrol than we've ever had in the history of the Border Patrol. And because of that, we're going to maintain a secure border for now and years to come. President Trump has laid the blueprint. Secretary Noem has enforced the law.
(18:44)
She has rolled it out the way it's supposed to be. And because of that, we've got what you see here, Trump wall. This wall has completely transformed this area from what used to be an area that was full of narcotics traffickers, human smugglers, and anybody that just wanted to come across this border that was pretty much non-existent. Now we get to see exactly what a secure border is where the envy of the world, like President Trump likes to say, "We are the hottest country in the world and we are going to be the safest country in the world." Thank you to the leadership from Secretary Dome and the administration. So thank you guys for being here. Thank you guys for coming out here to see exactly what it is this administration has done in the short amount of time that they've had the ability to do it. Thank you very much and have a good day.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Please welcome Chief of the United States Border Patrol, Mike Banks.
Mike Banks (19:54):
Man, good to be back in sunny Arizona. Spend a lot of time out here. I see a lot of familiar faces. Never thought I'd be coming back as the chief, but we're going to drive it like we stole it, right? And so, look, I just want to say this. We've heard whole of government approach our entire careers, we never saw it until January of last year, right? We've got the Coast Guard out here. We've got the Army out here. We've got anybody that's got a three-letter identifier and their law enforcement job out there fighting illegal immigration in this country. And it's because of the support we're getting from President Trump and the leadership team that he built behind us from Secretary Noem all the way down to the commissioner to Todd Lyons with ICE. The level of working together, I didn't believe it was possible. If I would have been told that you have one year to get this border this secure, I'd have recommended they hire someone else because I wouldn't have believed it was possible based on a career of what we've seen.
(20:46)
But when this team came in, they do not take no for an answer and they move those objects out of our way. We talk about morale being high. It's through the roof because the secretary is empowering us to do what we've always known how to do. We need a single new law, like Paul said, what we needed was an administration that said, "Border patrol, go do what you know how to do and get the border secure." They just came out with the numbers today, a little over 200,000 last year, down from over two million the year before, right? We're not done yet. We're all gas, no breaks downhill. We're just getting started. We did that without a single law being changed. We did that and we didn't get the first dime of money until a few months ago in the big beautiful bill. And we're going to use that big beautiful bill to continue building this wall. We're going to continue building a wall across. This wall is going to be coming with all the technology that it requires. We're getting the vehicles we need so that agents aren't standing in line waiting to go to work while people are crossing the border. The border's the most secure it's ever been. We're not done yet. We're going to continue getting there. And under the leadership that we have in this president and Secretary Noem, she hears you. She doesn't just hear you, but she responds to you. We spent several hours last night just listening to agents, right? Secretary, not a person in that room left that room if they wanted a picture, if they wanted a minute with her. She listens to you. She gets out in the field, right? We finally got a secretary that's actually supporting us and you see it, not just hear it, but you see it in her actions.
(22:15)
You see it in the commissioner's actions. We see it in Todd Lyons' actions every day. And so we're just getting started, right? If you think 2025 was a good year, 2026 says, hold my beer. You guys have a good day.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Please welcome senior official performing the duties of the director of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, Todd Lyons.
Todd Lyons (22:49):
Well, first off, good morning, everyone. Thanks for having me. Just like the chief said, I've done my whole adult life pretty much in law enforcement and more than 20 years doing immigration enforcement. I've never seen the teamwork that we have right now. And I've never had the leadership like President Trump and Secretary Noem. Border Patrol sees it, I sees it. OFO and AMO. We never had a secretary that was out there on the front lines with us every day, willing to put herself out there to be seen, to actually know what we do every day. And that's what the amazing thing is. The partnership with the Border Patrol has been amazing. The fact that you all have secured the border so quickly lets us do our job in the Interior. And I got to tell you that, the men and women of ICE, ERO, Homeland Security Investigations, we value the partnership of having border patrol and OFOs side by side with us out in the communities now, arresting those bad guys that are finally out there.
(23:49)
Chief Paul said it best. We didn't need any new laws, we just had to have the opportunity to enforce the laws we've trained for our whole lives. And that's what we're doing right now. I always say that it was always hard to do law enforcement by executive order. We're not doing that no more. The executive order we have now from the president and the secretary is go do your job. And that's what we're doing. And this last year has been remarkable results, but we still have about 1.5 million individuals in this country that have a final order of deportation and more than 800 of those are serious, serious criminal actors. And the men and women of border patrol, the men and women of CBP and ICE are out there every day doing it. And one thing is for sure, not only do the American people appreciate what we're doing, but all these moms and dad and angel families all around the United States that under the last administration had to suffer horrendous losses because of poor policies.
(24:42)
But now with Secretary Noem and President Trump at the helm, it's not going to happen anymore. Again, thank you very much for being here.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Please welcome commissioner of the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency, Rodney Scott.
Rodney Scott (25:08):
Well, good morning. Well, first I wanted to thank everybody for being here today, but I want to especially thank everybody that carries a badge in their wallet or pins it on their chest. But in this specific group, I also wanted to give a shout out to those of you that just wear that mission of protecting this country on your heart, regardless of the badge. Border security is a team sport and we got to where we are today because of that effort. I want to acknowledge a few that are or are not here today at the federal level, but Department of War, Department of Justice, Department of State, Health and Human Services, and even Department of Interior have played an important role here today, and I'll touch on that a little bit. But we also couldn't do this without some of our state and local partners and even the next county over from Santa Cruz, I thank them for being here today.
(25:53)
But we're here today to celebrate you, but we're also here to celebrate the accomplishments that you made, but it was because of the amazing vision of the President of the United States and his leadership. I want to thank the Secretary for traveling down here today as well, and I think you'll understand how important that is in just a second. But... Specifically on one aspect of that, and that is that in less than a year, we have provided the most secure border in the history of the United States. And let me caveat that for you. That's not a numbers issue. I spent five years of my career patrolling right where you're sitting right now. I can tell you what this area was like, the dope loads that were coming through here, the multi-vehicle caravans that were coming through here. Part of border security isn't just the arrests, it's knowing what's going on. And we have a higher level of situational awareness today on the borders knowing what's coming into our country than ever before.
(26:59)
We came here though. I want to talk why we're here. At least this is my perception of why we're here. We came down to the border because unfortunately the media likes chaos and they like friction and they like anything that arguments. They don't necessarily like to go present or show America a secure community, it's boring to them. So coming here today, we're forcing the media to come right to the border and see the most secure border that this country has ever had because it's important to America that this story doesn't stop at the border. This story touches every American because border security touches every American. So border security, it's the simplest steps is just simply knowing and controlling who and what's coming into this country consistent with law. And we talk about how do we get here? I think it's very important that we touch on that.
(27:51)
The efforts that every single one of the agents and personnel, military, wherever your background is, that played a huge role and I'm not discounting that. But
Rodney Scott (28:00):
But I want to highlight from my perspective how we got here. We had a President of the United States that stepped up and said, "We're going to put America first." We have a President of the United States that had a vision, we had a President of the United States that spoke with authority. And even before he was inaugurated as he was building out his team, he sent a very clear message, border security is national security. It's going to be a priority going forward. And I don't care what the title behind your name is. If you work in the federal government, you're going to support it. And on day one, we took action on that.
(28:32)
So those of you that don't know, on day one, we started building a high performance, low drag team from every agency that had any nexus to border security. And literally started figuring out how to implement the President's strategy. That's how we got here today. And as you've heard from some of the other speakers, no law changed. The Big Beautiful Bill just started rolling out. It was literally, "Go do your job and most importantly, I have your back." And for that, I thank the President and I think the leadership of DHS as well.
(29:03)
The president simply understood and still understands that if we can't control, first off know, and then control who and what enters our country, we have no national security. So I want to thank them for that, but we're not done. So yes, we're here because the border's super secure, but I also want you to know what that means. This border wall actually makes every single agent more effective. Every investment we in CBP make in infrastructure and technology across all of CBP lets the actual agent, the human being do things that only the human being can do.
(29:37)
Interview the people we catch, actually do the inspections, have conversations with people so that we're actually vetting them so we know who and what is coming into our home. That is having a snowball effect to where now we're doing interviews at the border that within minutes that information is being handed off to ICE so that we can find people that snuck into this country or got released by a corrupt prior administration. And we can go get them out of the communities and make this place safer.
(30:04)
At the ports of entry, we're doing more inspections than ever before. We're seizing more fentanyl than ever before. Why? Because President Trump understood that chaos provides cover for criminals. And when we reduced the illegal immigration at the border and shut down that chaos, it allowed border patrol agents, customs and immigration enforcement agents, DEA, every agency out there to focus on the real threats, the networks that keep bringing these threats to us.
(30:34)
We've just begun. We've got a lot to go, we've got a lot to do. But we're building border wall at unprecedented pace, as the Chief mentioned, we're rolling out technology, and most of all, we're hiring more border patrol agents and more officers to make sure that we provide America the border security that they deserve.
(30:51)
I just closed out how I started. Thank you, President Trump, thank you leadership within DHS. We're a long ways, but we are locking in this border security for generations to come before this administration is over. And every one of you in the audience plays an important role in that. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Please welcome the eighth Secretary of United States Department of Homeland Security, the honorable Kristi Noem.
Kristi Noem (31:26):
Well, good morning. It is so wonderful and such an honor for me to get to come here and spend some time with all of you. And we're here to talk about how secure this border is and to celebrate that we have one year of a secure border and a secure United States of America.
(31:43)
I want to say thank you to the gentlemen who all spoke before me and thank them for their leadership. To Paul and Rodney and Todd and Chief, just thank them for all that they've done to lead the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security in carrying out the mission that President Trump committed to fulfill for the people that live in our great country. I also want to thank Tom Homan for being the Border Czar. He was busy up in Minneapolis today and wasn't able to be here, but we thank him for his leadership as well.
(32:11)
But most of all, we thank President Trump for the guts and the love of this country to do the right thing. To make sure that when he talked to the American people, he talked about the fact that what we had going on here in this country under the Biden Administration was the greatest humanitarian crisis that we had ever seen in our history, and that it needed to be fixed. And the way that you fix it is you just enforce the law, that you go out there and say the laws need to be enforced and they need to be applied equally to every single person. And that Americans come first because they're the people who have built this country. And that they're the ones who are here working jobs and putting their kids through school, and doing the right thing to make sure that our freedom and our liberties are secured.
(32:56)
So I want to thank him for his leadership, for the fact that he told the American people what we needed. He said we needed a wall and we have a wall, a big beautiful wall that President Trump also wanted painted black so that it would endure for a long period of time, that it would look like the strength and stamina that the American people have. And that it would be something that would continue to protect us for generations to come.
(33:23)
But I also wanted to come here today and thank all of you. I'm looking out in this group of individuals and I see a group of patriots, people who stepped up during difficult times and led us through challenges. But also are still here today making sure that we continue down the path of what we committed to the American people. I want to thank all the individuals I see from CBP, from ICE, the Coast Guard. I see our law enforcement partners, the Department of War, National Guard, all of our local sheriffs and law enforcement that have partnered with us.
(33:55)
And then those individuals who kept the faith, that came alongside of us and encouraged our law enforcement, and stood beside them and supported them and their families. We know that no one can do their job with excellence unless their family's okay and they're taken care of, and that things are right at home. And so, those individuals in this community that supported our law enforcement through those times are incredibly important. And we're grateful for them.
(34:19)
The high degree of talent and experience that we have here today is a testament to not just President Trump's commitment, but also to the people that have secured the border and have also worked every single day to make sure that America is safe again. In President Trump's first year back in office, we've delivered the most secure border in American history. And we did it with the immediate aftermath we were facing from that humanitarian crisis that was created from Joe Biden's open border policies.
(34:49)
It is so quiet here now today that sometimes we even forget how bad it was just a little over a year ago. And the importance of the accomplishment that has happened over this last year cannot be forgotten. Hardworking Americans all along this southern border were devastated. They were trying to do their jobs, educate their kids, and protect the future when they were handed this humanitarian crisis. And saw the horrors of what was happening when millions of people were crossing our border unvetted, when they were trespassing onto private property. We had crimes being committed, we saw women and children being trafficked, people dying. And crimes continued to be perpetuated as people were allowed to come into the country unvetted and unstopped.
(35:34)
Yesterday I was in Eagle Pass, Texas. And I had the chance to tour the border, not just with our Border Patrol agents, but also with the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety. And we looked at some of the areas that were the hardest hit during the Biden border policies.
(35:52)
In September of 2023, Eagle Pass saw an unprecedented crisis face them. In fact, they had to declare a state of emergency due to the rush of illegal aliens that were coming into their town and through their community to get into the United States. On one day, they saw over 10,000 people come through that area to get into the United States unvetted and illegally. In just a couple of days, it doubled the population of their town. And it caused a crisis not just for their medical care facilities, their businesses and their families, but it absolutely crushed them and their economy. And their crime was rampant and overrun.
(36:32)
And just last week or week or so ago, I got to spend some time in Brownsville, Texas, spent some time with farmers and ranchers. And we talked about what their lives were like just a little over a year and a half ago, how they saw trespassers come onto their property, cut their fences. Their livestock were loose and sometimes they incurred death there as well. They had crimes, people breaking into their homes and their facilities. They were finding dead bodies on their ranches. In fact, we saw unprecedented death from those illegal migrants that were coming into our country because of the heat exhaustion. And they also were forced into water and people were drowning because of the crush and the push to take advantage of those open border policies.
(37:16)
Those ranchers were talking about how different it was for them now, the fact that their ranches are safe again. That they don't have drug cartels running drugs across their property and down their roads and endangering their children and their schools. Many of the schools and many of these communities had to put up barriers and protections and boulders and rocks just between the roads and their schools to keep their children safe so they could go in and out and get their education in a way that would protect their lives.
(37:41)
When things like this happen, people are not just challenged with the crime, but they're challenged with the fact that their economy is hurt, their businesses are hurt. And also that these illegal migrants were being victimized each and every day. At worst, illegal aliens threatened the lives of American citizens with crime and violence and drugs. But they brought other with them, a recognition that the rule of law didn't matter in America anymore, that laws weren't going to be enforced. And it sent a message around the world that people could just come to America and no one was going to do anything about letting those dangerous individuals come in with terrorists, suspected terrorists and criminals that were allowed to come in with those illegal migrants.
(38:25)
And while the left tries to tell us many times that it's somehow compassionate to allow that kind of chaos, it isn't. It was dangerous, not just on this side of the border, but on the Mexican side of the border as well. We saw many of those illegal migrants not be able to survive the brutal terrain. They didn't survive the river crossing. Those causes of death, of heat and water were dangerous, and they left behind so many bodies that in some counties along the border, they had to install migrant morgues just to pick up the dead bodies that were passing away on their way to try to get into the United States. In fact, during the Biden administration and those open border policies, we saw even the UN declare that the United States and Mexico border was the deadliest land route in the world. Countless people were sexually abused and trafficked over and over again and exploited.
(39:19)
One story that I remember that impacted me so dramatically was a horrifying story of a father who paid a smuggler $1,000 to bring his wife and his two-year-old daughter into the United States. Once they got over the border, those smugglers took that mom and daughter into a stash house and kidnapped them, and held them hostage for a ransom. And said that father would not get them back unless he paid another $23,000 to them. And said if he did not immediately pay, that they would do things to his daughter that he couldn't even imagine. That was happening on a daily basis because of that invasion.
(39:55)
Over those four years of chaos and destruction and death, many of the left said that it was compassionate. They said it was compassionate to let millions of people come in unvetted and be subjected to murderers and smugglers and cartels and gang members. Was it compassionate to make Americans share their communities with criminals? Was it compassionate to encourage men and women and children to break the law and to put their lives at risk, knowing that they could be victimized along the way? And was it compassionate to demonize those federal law enforcement officers that took an oath to uphold the law and to keep Americans safe?
(40:33)
The left and Democrats dare to harass, threaten, and dox our officers, assault the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, and our federal law enforcement. And they try to say that enforcing our immigration laws and arresting and deporting illegal criminals and violent criminals is inhumane. Well, what about the victims of that illegal crimes? What about the flow of drugs that were coming over our border and killing our next generation of Americans? What about the angel families who lost someone that they dearly love, that they'll never have back again and don't have a future with?
(41:07)
They don't talk about the Laken Rileys, the Jocelyn Nungaray. They don't talk about the Rachel Morins. And they don't talk about the thousands of Americans that we've lost to drug overdoses and to poisonings. In fact, the flow over this border of illegal fentanyl has been cut in half since President Trump has been in office. And since he has secured this border and built this wall, 56% of the fentanyl has stopped coming into our country and saved millions of lives.
(41:37)
The Democrats on the left say that compassion was that invasion, was that humanitarian crisis. But President Trump says that compassion is taking care of people. Joe Biden and his policies during those four years lost 450,000 children. Many times they placed them with sponsors that abused them, that trafficked them. The government paid people
Kristi Noem (42:00):
... to take our children and to traffic them.
(42:03)
Since President Trump's been in office, we've located 145,000 children that were lost and we're not going to stop till we find every single one. Because of President Trump's leadership and his bold action, this country keeps breaking historic records. In fact, we have the lowest crime rate in this nation right now because of President Trump and his strength and securing our border that we've ever had in the history of this nation since we've been tracking crimes. The lowest murder rate that we've ever recorded in this country. And that's because we enforce the law and we hold criminals accountable for what they do to perpetuate violence against the American people.
(42:41)
In fact, for the last nine months, the Border Patrol has released zero illegal aliens into the interior of the country. It's incredible, the work that they do every day. And that's what happens when you fight for law and order.
(42:55)
Overall, Customs and Border Protection has recorded the lowest number of encounters in the agency's history in 2025. Daily encounters have fallen by 95% over the last year. While the daily average of apprehensions in the Biden years was over 5,100 per day, in the last year it was less than 250.
(43:17)
In addition to keeping the illegal aliens out, we're also protecting the American people from the deadly drugs that are coming in. And just in 2025, CBP seized over 600,000 pounds of illicit drugs. The death rate and the fentanyl deaths in this country have dropped in one year under President Trump. Because he secured the border, fentanyl deaths have gone down 30%. We can't wait to continue to keep working to save more American lives. We have to continue to keep ramping up our efforts and do all that we can to protect our children. And we're thankful for President Trump's vision to invest in technology, invest in people, and invest in the resources that we need to do our jobs. He did it in one year. You think about what this country has gone through over the previous four years and what a turnaround that we've seen because we have a president in the White House that puts the American people first, it's incredible.
(44:14)
President Trump believed that we still have a country, and he believed that it was a country worth fighting for. Now we're hard at work to make sure it stays that way. And when the American people put President Trump in the White House, they said enough is enough. They chose him, they chose law and order. They voted to build the wall. They voted to send President Trump back to the White House.
(44:37)
And it reminds me of John Adams. He said back in history when they were building this country and founding this country, he said, "The very definition of a republic is a government of laws, not of men."
(44:52)
We are a government of laws. We are a republic. And for four long years before President Trump, we saw what it was like when people put men above our laws. We saw how people were victimized and hurt and abused. And Americans didn't want to live like that anymore. The beauty of our republic is that our people have the freedom to choose. And when they elected President Trump, they chose differently. They chose someone who recognized that a country with no border is no country at all. A country that doesn't enforce its laws is a lawless country.
(45:25)
We had never experienced the kind of chaos before in recent history that we saw during the Biden administration, and the American people rejected it. They rejected it and its lawlessness and chose to return to law and order. And with President Trump and all of you great law enforcement officers in front of me and those across the country that do their work every day, we've got a promise of a bright future and a promise of an amazing country for years to come.
(45:51)
You have stood up and stood on the line to make sure that we have freedom and liberty for our children and our grandchildren for years to come. Thank you for the work that you do.
(46:01)
I pray every day that God will continue to bless you. Bless the work that you set your hands to and your families. They'll continue to bless this great country so that we would know that we are all Americans and we're all here.
(46:20)
The rest of the world follows America because we are the ones that provide the hope and the future for what the entire world should be. So may God bless you and thank you so much for being the great Americans that you are. Thank you.
Mike Banks (46:50):
So like the Secretary said and the Commissioner as well, we're celebrating the monumental control that we've got over the border. But in doing that, our main purpose here is to thank you, the men and women of CBP and DHS that are getting the job done. We can provide you all the policies, the money, the protection, the coverage, but you have to go out there and deliver on it.
(47:17)
I know that most of us say we don't need to thank you. We don't need an award, but it brings me great pleasure to be at a given award. It gives me extreme pleasure to be able to do it in a sector that played such a huge part in my career and my development as a leader. And so with that, if I can have Agent Jack Gamblin step up.
(47:40)
So today Jack Gamblin is going to receive the Newton-Azrak Award. I'm going to read to you why he's receiving that award. On June the 19th of 2024, Border Patrol Agent Jack Gamblin was critical in the apprehension of a Tucson homicide subject who shot himself and other law enforcement officers in the Brian Terry Station's area of operation. Responding to the area, Gamblin found the suspect vehicle speeding his direction while the suspect was firing at Agent Gamblin. Despite no cover and little to no concealment and a great risk to his personal safety, Agent Gamblin retrieved his service rifle, squared himself off to the threat and returned fire neutralizing the threat. BPA Gamblin's exceptional courage in action went above and beyond the call of duty, reflecting the highest credit upon himself and the United States Border Patrol. Agent Gamblin, if you can come over.
Kristi Noem (48:31):
Congratulations. Yes. [inaudible 00:48:42] Want to take a picture? You should hold this. We're taking a picture.
Mike Banks (49:07):
Agent Fleming. And Agent Gundry.
(49:20)
Agent Fleming and Agent Gundry will also be receiving the Newton-Azrak Award. On Thursday, February the 20th of 2025, Border Patrol Agents Brandon Fleming and Bryce Gundry witnessed a devastating head-on collision that resulted in both vehicles being engulfed in flames. At tremendous personal risk to themselves, they selfly dove into the wreckage, pulling the trapped civilians to safety and ultimately saving their lives. BPA Fleming's and BPA Gundry's actions, heroic actions exemplify the core values of the United States Border Patrol and stand as a testament to their courage, selflessness, and unwavering commitment to protecting others. BPA Fleming and BPA Gundry went above and beyond the call of duty. Their bravery brought great credit upon themselves and the United States Border Patrol.
Kristi Noem (50:18):
Congratulations. Congratulations. Should we move over here and take a picture?
Speaker 2 (50:25):
Sorry. Thank you, sir.
Speaker 3 (50:48):
Thank you, sir.
Kristi Noem (50:48):
You got it?
Mike Banks (50:48):
Thank you very much.
Kristi Noem (50:48):
You got it. You got it.
Mike Banks (51:07):
All right, that's going to conclude the ceremony for today. I know that some of you are going to stick around for some pictures afterwards, but outstanding work. Again, nothing bring me greater pleasure than coming back home. I was driving down here passing Rancho Lamigro and I'm like, "Man, this brings back some memories." Passing the I-19 checkpoint, got many loads with K9 Jarno up there. And then these hills, I remember when we had no wall down here, right? And I went to the checker for me for about six months and I come back down there and I couldn't recognize the place anymore. I got lost, right? And so hopefully you all get lost as we continue to build the wall. Anyway, thank you very much. And again, we really appreciate all the hard work you guys are doing. Outstanding work. 2026, here we come. All right.
MUSIC (51:44):
Hey, Uncle Sam, put your name at the top of his list.
(51:46)
And the Statue of Liberty started shakin' her fist.
(51:46)
And the eagle will fly and it's gonna be hell.
(51:56)
When you hear Mother Freedom start ringin' her bell.
(52:04)
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is rainin' down on you.
(52:07)
Aw, brought to you courtesy of the red, white, and blue.