Ted Budd, a U.S. senator, has called for the swift and responsible removal of violent illegal offenders by federal authorities to protect American families. He criticized current border and sanctuary city policies as unsafe in a statement made on X.
“The open border policies of the Biden admin and sanctuary cities are neither humane nor responsible,” said Theodore Paul Budd, U.S. Senator from North Carolina. “Allowing dangerous illegal aliens to walk the streets freely is creating the same circumstances here that many immigrants fled to America to avoid in their home countries. It is endangering Americans in their own communities. Orderly & systematic removal of those who not only violated our immigration laws but also pose a threat to our communities is essential for protecting families across North Carolina.”
Immigration enforcement and border security remain central issues in national policy debates. Critics of the Biden administration argue that rolling back Trump-era enforcement measures has encouraged illegal crossings and weakened coordination with state and local governments. Sanctuary city policies, which limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, have drawn particular scrutiny from Republican lawmakers who say such measures undermine public safety. Budd’s comments reflect a broader call for restoring consistent, federally led immigration enforcement to protect communities.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there were more than 2.4 million migrant encounters at the southwest border in Fiscal Year 2024, one of the highest annual totals on record. The agency also reported a rise in encounters involving individuals with criminal records or prior removals. Federal law requires that such offenders be detained and deported, but resource and policy challenges have slowed the process. Lawmakers emphasize that effective enforcement depends on adequate funding and interagency coordination.
The Department of Homeland Security’s latest enforcement report shows that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed over 142,000 noncitizens with criminal convictions in FY 2023, an increase from the previous year. However, internal audits highlight continued delays in deportation proceedings and uneven cooperation from local jurisdictions with sanctuary policies. Supporters of stronger enforcement say expediting removal decisions is essential to maintaining national security and restoring trust in immigration systems.
Senator Ted Budd represents North Carolina in the U.S. Senate, elected in 2022 after serving three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. A business owner and lifelong North Carolinian, Budd serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He has made border security, law enforcement, and economic freedom key pillars of his legislative agenda, advocating for policies that prioritize safety and uphold the rule of law across the nation.
