Adrian is fighting to give the Border Patrol tools to keep Nebraskans safe.
give the Border Patrol additional tools to stop illegal immigration and keep Nebraskans safe
Occurrences
Adrian is working with President Trump to return to the border policies that were working before being recklessly reversed by the Biden administration.
Evidence
Under “Securing the U.S. BORDER,” the campaign page says Adrian Smith “voted to finish the wall, increase funding for the Border Patrol to stop illegal immigration and drugs, remove illegal immigrants from the census, and ensure only U.S. citizens can vote.” It also says he is “fighting to give the Border Patrol tools to keep Nebraskans safe.”
Congress.gov records H.R.2 as having passed the House on 05/11/2023 by a vote of 219-213 and describes the bill as making changes to immigration law, including border security measures. The summary states that Division A requires DHS to resume activities related to constructing a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The House Clerk roll call for H.R. 29, the Laken Riley Act, shows the bill passed 264-159 on January 7, 2025. The bill required DHS to detain certain non-U.S. nationals arrested for specified crimes.
Congress.gov lists S.5 as becoming Public Law No. 119-1 on January 29, 2025.
Public Law 119-21 appropriates major CBP border-security resources: $46.55B for border infrastructure and wall system elements such as barriers, access roads, cameras, lights, sensors, and other detection technology; $4.1B to hire and train additional Border Patrol agents and other CBP personnel; $2.05263B for eligible Border Patrol agent and CBP bonuses; $855M for patrol units; and $6.168B for border security, technology, and screening, including surveillance technologies and AI-supported inspection tools.
The House Clerk records Roll Call 190 on H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as passed 218-214 on the motion to concur in the Senate amendment. The vote table lists Smith (NE), Republican, Nebraska, as voting Aye.
CRS states that the FY2025 reconciliation package, P.L. 119-21, was enacted on July 4, 2025 and included the largest single DHS supplemental appropriations package Congress had acted on to date. CRS summarizes CBP funding as $64.73B, including $46.55B for border infrastructure and wall system, $6.17B for border security/technology/screening costs, $4.1B for hiring agents/officers/support personnel, $2.05B for recruitment/performance/retention bonuses, $0.86B for vehicles, and $5B for facilities.
The White House OBBB fact sheet says the law makes the largest border-security investment in history, funds hundreds of miles of new border wall and water-based barriers, supports Border Patrol and ICE agents with annual bonuses, and adds 3,000 new Border Patrol agents. It also identifies a historic investment in border technology to improve real-time capabilities for agents.
Public Law 119-21 appropriates Border Patrol and CBP resources for personnel, recruitment and retention bonuses, patrol vehicles, facilities, border security technology and screening, and border infrastructure/wall system funding through FY2029.
The House Clerk records final House passage of H.R. 1, with Adrian Smith voting Aye on the decisive roll call that sent the reconciliation bill to enactment.
USACE says it is leading border-barrier construction for the Barry M. Goldwater Range project, a roughly 15-mile effort with a contract awarded on August 15, 2025 and construction beginning on October 15, 2025.
Assessments
Smith’s promise was broadly to give Border Patrol more tools to stop illegal immigration. During his current House term, Congress enacted Public Law 119-21 on July 4, 2025, which provided major new Border Patrol/CBP resources including agent hiring, bonuses, vehicles, facilities, border infrastructure, and surveillance/security technology. Smith also voted for the decisive final House passage on July 3, 2025, so he materially supported the enacted federal outcome while in office. Because the promise was framed broadly rather than as a specific standalone bill, this enacted package is a direct match and supports full delivery rather than partial credit.
The promise was to give Border Patrol additional tools to stop illegal immigration. Public Law 119-21, enacted July 4, 2025, directly funded Border Patrol/CBP personnel, bonuses, patrol units, border infrastructure, surveillance technology, screening systems, and related border-security resources through FY2029. Smith was a sitting U.S. Representative and voted Aye on final House passage, so he materially advanced the enacted federal outcome in the same term. Earlier votes such as H.R.2 and the Laken Riley Act show related effort, but the full delivery rests on P.L. 119-21.
Smith made documented federal legislative efforts on border security, including supporting H.R.2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, which passed the House but did not become law. The later enacted Laken Riley Act addressed immigration detention and enforcement but did not deliver the specific Border Patrol tools or funding outcome described in the campaign promise. Because the promised Border Patrol-focused result was not enacted, but Smith made a serious legislative attempt during his term, this is best classified as not delivered with an effort badge.
Smith made and supported serious border-security efforts, including voting for H.R.2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, and backing the Laken Riley Act. However, the evidence does not show that the promised outcome was delivered: H.R.2 did not become law, and the enacted Laken Riley Act addressed detention of certain non-U.S. nationals rather than giving Border Patrol the additional tools described in the campaign promise. The campaign material itself shows continued advocacy, not fulfillment.