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Congressional Daily Record
This section covers nominations, confirmations, or other executive branch business. It mentions members such as Catherine Marie Cortez Masto.
Official title: Reconciliation (Executive Calendar)
Issued
May 20, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextMs. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I am here on the floor of the Senate today because I want to talk about what is happening this week with the reconciliation package that Republicans are attempting to move this week.
watching. Who knows? But for many that are out there, let me just say that what is happening right now is that our Republican leaders in Congress in essence are trying to give billions of dollars more in funding to out-of-control Federal immigration enforcement Agencies that are brutalizing our communities.
I want to be clear about something. We all agree that we need strong border security and that criminals need to face justice. I am going to say that again. We need strong border security. Criminals must face justice.
worst of the worst, but what really is happening is that masked and unidentifiable agents are roaming around, arresting and even killing American citizens, racially profiling people, including Latinos, and deporting Dreamers.
to the American public when you are listening to them—because if you are, you are hearing that they are saying: Enough. They want safe communities but not lawlessness and fearmongering.
February: You will not get our votes on new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol unless it includes commonsense guardrails to rein in these Agencies' abuses. But over the last several months, unfortunately, President Trump and Republican leadership have showed us, time and time again, that they are simply not interested in doing the right thing here, even the popular thing.
given these two Agencies $150 billion in their so-called Big Beautiful Bill. They did that with another reconciliation package. They have plenty of money. ICE and CPB have plenty of money to operate for years to come—because their annual budget is only around $8 to $10 billion. They have $150 billion.
Donald Trump, Republicans now want to add another $70 billion to these Agencies, on top of the $150 billion they have. That multibillion- dollar check isn't for lowering the price of groceries for Americans. It is not lowering the cost of energy for Americans or healthcare or even helping them put more gas in their tanks at a lower cost. That is not what this is. It is not bringing back the manufacturing jobs this administration has lost us. And it definitely is not making our communities any safer.
enforcement has been doing with the $150 billion they already got for their mass deportation efforts. Let me tell you, they are not spending it on going after the worst of the worst. They are not doing
that. I have seen that in Nevada, and we have seen that across the country.
Dreamers who have been detained or deported by Federal immigration enforcement. Dreamers and DACA recipients—they are our neighbors, they are our friends, they are community leaders, they are teachers, they are doctors, they are small business owners in my State and other States, and they are not criminals. In fact, they have had to follow the law to the letter in order to maintain their DACA status. And yet I have heard story after story of DACA recipients being detained or deported by ICE and Border Patrol. And I want to tell you some of those stories about how Federal immigration enforcement under Donald Trump is choosing to spend the taxpayers' dollars.
detained by Federal immigration enforcement anyway. She said it was one of the most traumatic experiences of her life, and I believe it. Now, because of this administration's delays in DACA renewals, Maria is afraid her renewal—her renewal—won't come in time for her to heal and rebuild her life.
I also heard from Stephanie, a U.S. citizen who spoke to me on behalf of her husband Juan, who is a DACA recipient. Juan did everything he was supposed to do. He got an education, started a family, and always followed the law. Just days after Stephanie gave birth to their youngest daughter, Juan was on his way to the NICU unit to deliver milk for his new baby and for his wife when he was approached by ICE agents. And even though he had active DACA status and work authorization, the ICE agents told him it didn't matter, and they arrested and detained him.
it still wasn't enough. His DACA status expired while he was sitting in detention.
Stephanie told me:
Trump said DACA recipients would be safe, but that's not
true.
was finally, finally released back to his family and his newborn daughter.
recipient detained for no reason whatsoever. He had just dropped his kids off at school when ICE detained him, even though he had done nothing wrong. A judge finally ordered ICE to release him because there was no basis to hold him in the first place.
Trump and Republican leadership want to spend billions of dollars going after. These, to them, somehow, are the worst of the worst, when they have not committed a crime and they have followed the rules that we have set. They have followed the rules that Congress has passed, that the President signed, and they are following those rules.
How does that make sense?
sacrificed so much for our country, are having their lives torn apart by Federal immigration enforcement.
arrested by ICE during a routine immigration appointment. She showed up for her appointment like she was required to do. Deisy has lived in this country over 10 years, and she was granted legal protection in 2019. But on April 14, despite being the wife of a soldier, she was arrested during a routine appointment with immigration services. Over a month later, Deisy was finally released from custody, thanks in part to public pressure, as well as advocacy from my colleague Senator Duckworth.
I also saw the story of SSG Matthew Blank and his wife Annie Ramos. Annie is a Dreamer who has called the United States home since she was 2 years old. They were newlyweds checking in on base to get Annie her military ID and activate her military spouse benefits. Instead, Annie was detained and threatened with deportation. Again, after advocacy from my Senate colleagues, she has been released, but ICE is still trying to deport her.
Now, think about this. You know about this because these stories have been public, but there are many others. There are many others that are not public. There are many others who have done nothing wrong, who are sitting in detention right now, and the public has no idea. And it is time—it is time—that, as Americans, we understand this and we stand up to an administration that thinks it is OK to deport people who have done nothing but lived in this country, tried to abide by the laws, tried to pay taxes, tried to have a good job.
immigration enforcement should be spending their time on and this is not what we should be funding. That is why my Democratic colleagues and I have been blocking funding for ICE. It is because of the abuses of power that we are seeing, and it has to stop.
said: Listen, if you want more funding, if you think that you need more funding—which is just so abusive as it is—then you have to comply with commonsense requirements that local law enforcement in my State and across the country comply with, that our State law enforcement in my State and across the country comply with.
And here are some of the reforms: Immigration enforcement can't detain and deport U.S. citizens, especially not based on the way they look. Federal agents can't go into someone's home without a judicial warrant. Federal agents can't wear masks. And they must clearly show their badge numbers, and they must wear body cameras.
State and local law enforcement, who patrol our communities every single day, do.
Nevadans in my State are asking for this. Americans across the country, in all States, are asking for this. Local and State law enforcement already abide by these guidelines, and they are the ones who are keeping our neighborhoods safe every day. Federal law enforcement should be held to the same standards. It is not controversial.
ago. We shouldn't even be here today. It has been 4 months of Democrats asking for commonsense, popular reforms to rein in the President's clearly out-of-control Federal immigration enforcement.
help families. This administration has done nothing to address Americans' prices that are skyrocketing. And it is time that we actually listen to the people and listen to Americans and solve their problems, not create the problems that we think need to be solved.
I would say to my colleagues and to this administration: The American people, they deserve better.
With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.