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BY SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN

Nothing is more important for our national sovereignty than control of our borders. That’s why, in November, the American people gave President Trump an overwhelming mandate to finally secure our southern border after four years of Biden-Harris failures.

Thankfully, in just his first week in office, the President has already taken many steps to ensure that happens.

On Inauguration Day, for example, President Trump restored many of the successful policies from his first administration that former President Biden ended, including the Remain-in-Mexico policy, border wall construction, and enhanced vetting of aliens.

At the same time, he terminated Biden’s disastrous open-border measures, including catch-and-release, the CBP One app that helped make illegal immigration legal, and migrant flights that brought more than 500,000 illegals to cities across the country.

In addition, he took new actions to strengthen our border and end illegal immigration, including executive orders to prohibit “birth tourism,” designate cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and send troops to the border. Perhaps most importantly, the President ordered mass deportations after Biden allowed more than 10 million illegal aliens to enter our country.

To no one’s surprise, these strong executive actions are already getting results. In just its first days, the Trump administration has already conducted deportation flights, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 460 illegal aliens, including murder and rape suspects. At the same time, migrant encounters at the border have plummeted, according to recent reports.

For so many in Tennessee and across our country, this is welcome news. We can only have national security with border security, and for too long, Americans have suffered the consequences of Biden’s open border: migrant crime, fentanyl overdoses, human trafficking, strained public resources, and more.

While President Trump will continue to lead the way in securing our border, Congress should play a crucial role in supporting his efforts and making certain that no President can surrender our national sovereignty ever again. That’s why, in the U.S. Senate, I introduced a slate of bills to ensure that happens.

My CONTAINER Act, for example, would empower border states to place temporary barriers on federal land to help stop the flow of traffickers, drugs, and criminals at the southern border. Over the last four years, the Biden administration repeatedly tried to prevent border states such as Texas from protecting their communities, and this legislation would stop such harmful, counterproductive efforts from future administrations.

My CLEAR Act, meanwhile, would reaffirm the authority of state and local governments to enforce federal immigration laws by apprehending, detaining, or transferring illegal aliens to federal custody. Crucially, this legislation provides local law enforcement the resources they need to support deportation efforts and border security.

While President Trump reinstated by executive order Remain in Mexico, which requires asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while awaiting their court date, I also introduced legislation that would make this crucial policy the law of the land, requiring future administrations to enforce it.

In addition, I recently introduced the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, which allows the deportation of illegal aliens convicted of sexual offenses or domestic violence.

After this week, one thing should be clear: Together, President Trump and congressional Republicans are working to Make America Safe Again.

(Marsha Blackburn represents Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives)