ms. ernst: no matter the topic, people in d.c. like to talk but not get much done. there's one topic that's especially guilty of this, and that's immigration. democrat or republican, conservative or liberal, we know our immigration system is broken. that's an easy statement to make but nothing ever changes, and we need to start getting things done. in iowa we've learned this in a very tragic way. on january 31, 2016, the same day as her college graduation, sarah root was killed by an illegal immigrant named edwin mejia. he was drag racing with a glad alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. despite repeated requests by local law enforcement, immigrations and customs enforcement failed to detain mejia. because of a nonsensical policy that allows i.c.e. to use discretion when determining whether to detain a criminal alien charged with a violent offense. he posted bond. he was released. and he disappeared. still more than four years later, he remains a fugitive. denying sarah's loved o

ms. ernst: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: mr. president, i want to thank my colleagues today, the senator from mississippi, the senator from kansas, and so forth, for coming down and spending just a little bit of time talking about the wonderful heroes that we have in our home states. and we really do have so, so many of them. and while the country is anxiously awaiting washington to come together and pass an updated covid relief package, we are truly blessed to have everyday heroes back in our 50 states who are working around the clock to help out their neighbors. essential workers haven't taken a break. they've been keeping our country running and not just during this global pandemic but every single day. i've heard it time and again, stories of iowans helping iowans. folks are volunteering their time and their at that at that r talents to ensure their communities and ensure no one feels alone during this time of social distancing. when my friend, iowa governor kim reynolds, announced that there was a shortage of face masks to