Secure America Act signed as Trump touts border gains

Washington, June 10 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the Secure America Act, a major funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and used the White House event to highlight his administration’s immigration enforcement record, border security policies and law-and-order agenda.

“This morning, I’m thrilled to sign the Secure America Act to immediately and fully fund the Department of Homeland Security through the end of my term,” Trump said as he was joined by Republican congressional leaders and senior administration officials.

The President said the legislation would provide additional support to immigration and border enforcement agencies.

“We’ll give the heroes of ICE and Border Patrol — and that’s what they are, they’re heroes — the support and resources they need to defend our borders, protect our homeland, and to keep America safe,” he said.

According to Trump, the measure allocates “$38 billion to ICE” and “$26 billion to Border Patrol” to strengthen enforcement and border security.

The signing ceremony quickly evolved into a broader defence of the administration’s immigration policies. Trump accused Democrats of attempting to block DHS funding and argued that the legislation would help sustain what he described as significant progress on border security.

He claimed the administration had dramatically reduced illegal crossings and tightened border controls.

“Starting on day one, we took the most dangerous and unsafe, violent open border in the world, and we created the most secure border anywhere in our country,” Trump said.

Trump also asserted that “in the last 12 months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted into the United States” and said authorities had cut “the flow of fentanyl across our border by almost 60 percent”.

The President linked the funding package to broader crime-reduction efforts, pointing to Washington, D.C., and other cities as examples of what he described as successful law-enforcement initiatives.

“We took out almost 5,000 people out of Washington, D.C.,” Trump said, adding that the city had become “among the safest cities in the country”.

He also praised the work of the National Guard, local law enforcement agencies and congressional Republicans who supported the legislation.

During a question-and-answer session after the signing, Trump expanded beyond domestic issues. Asked about Iran, he said the United States would continue military action following the reported downing of a US military helicopter.

“We’re going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard,” Trump said, while again insisting that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon”.

He also mentioned Pakistan while discussing diplomatic efforts regarding Iran.

“I gave them a break at the request of Pakistan; the field marshal and the prime minister of Pakistan are great,” Trump said.

The President further indicated that he would soon meet leading artificial intelligence executives, describing AI as “an amazing industry” and saying the administration was discussing ways to ensure the public benefits from its growth.

The Secure America Act follows months of partisan debate in Congress over immigration policy, border enforcement and DHS funding. Immigration remains one of the defining issues of Trump’s second term, with the administration prioritising deportations, border infrastructure and expanded enforcement operations.

DHS oversees agencies including US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration. The department plays a central role in border security, immigration enforcement, disaster response and domestic security operations across the United States.

–IANS

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