Thune Leads Border Visit to Back Cornyn and Showcase GOP Enforcement Gains

Overview

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune led GOP senators and recruits to McAllen, Texas, highlighting border enforcement progress and rallying behind Sen. John Cornyn.
• The delegation promoted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes $4.1 billion for CBP to hire 5,000 customs officers and 3,000 Border Patrol agents and up to $13.5 billion to reimburse border states.
• ICE said on Jan. 3 it hired 12,000 officers, expanding its force to about 22,000, a data point Republicans cited as evidence of bolstered enforcement capacity.
• Republicans pointed to sharply lower crossings, referencing a Fox News figure of 221 apprehensions on Thursday and CBP’s November total of 7,350 at the southwest border.
• Cornyn’s tight primary against Ken Paxton and Wesley Hunt flared on X during the visit, as Thune signaled full support for Cornyn and brought Senate hopefuls Michael Whatley and Mike Rogers to underscore the party’s 2026 strategy.