Bipartisan group of senators push for a solution on the border crisis
A small group of lawmakers worked through the Thanksgiving holidays to try to find solutions for the crisis at the southern border.
“I’ve literally talked to (Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer) almost every day except Thanksgiving and his birthday over the course of this holiday weekend,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., in an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday.
These conversations come a little over a month after the White House requested $105 billion in funding for Ukraine, Israel and the southern border, including humanitarian assistance for these war zones and security assistance for the Indo-Pacific region.
Republicans have demanded stricter immigration measures in exchange for their support behind the multifaceted aid package, leading to delays in its passage.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, previously said in a letter he plans to bring the Biden administration’s request to the Senate floor next week.
The GOP’s conditions to vote yes on the package “has injected a decades old, hyperpartisan issue into overwhelmingly bipartisan priorities,” Schumer wrote. He did not address Republican concerns over combining support for Israel and Ukraine into one bill.
Bennet said there is “broad bipartisan support” for the funding package. But, he added, “There are some Republicans who have said that in order to do that, in order to have that vote, they want to see something done on the border.”
The Republican priorities include reworking asylum laws to make it harder for migrants to enter the U.S. and expanding the construction of the border wall — which are “nonstarters” for the Democratic Party, as Schumer previously said on the Senate floor.
Bennet said there’s always room for improvement when it comes to the American immigration system. “And I hope people of good faith can come together and reach a solution,” he added.
As Politico reported, Bennet was joined by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in trying to find a consensus on the border.
Murphy told The Associated Press last week that any deal “has to respect both Republican and Democratic priorities.”
He added, “I don’t think it’s realistic to solve anywhere close to the whole problem in the next two weeks.”
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson have said their support for Ukraine will depend on whether immigration laws are tightened, per CNN .
“The reality is, if President Biden wants Ukraine aid to pass we’re going to have to have substantial border policy changes,” said Cotton, who often stands with McConnell, as ABC News reported.
Since Biden took office, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported 7.5 million migrant encounters. This number doesn’t include the over a million “got aways” who successfully evaded Border Patrol agents.
Fiscal year 2023 shaped up to be one of the worst years for U.S. borders, with a 40% increase in encounters compared to 2021, and a 100% increase compared to 2019, as the Department of Homeland Security reported .
On Friday, John R. Modlin, the chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Division, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter , that 15,300 migrants were apprehended in a week’s time.
Additionally, Modlin reported that 117 pounds of fentanyl were seized, while 14 incidents of human trafficking and three incidents related to drugs were reported within the same time frame.
Week in Review...- 15,300 Apprehensions
- 117 lbs. of Fentanyl
- 78 Federal Criminal Cases
- 17 Rescues
- 14 Human Smuggling Events
- 3 Narcotics Events #HonorFirst pic.twitter.com/75pt070mDr — John R. Modlin November 24, 2023
In a later post, Modlin said that amid the surge in migrants crossing the border, the Border Patrol for Tucson, his department is reducing resources put toward social media accounts.
“At this time, all available personnel are needed to address the unprecedented flow,” Modlin wrote .
Sinema, who is involved in the bipartisan talks on the border, said in an interview with CBS News that she sees an urgent need to address the “porous border” and the “loopholes” in the immigration law.
“There’s growing concern, from folks on both sides of the aisle, that we have to act now, as a national security measure, to protect our border and ensure the safe passage of migrants into our country for those who do qualify for asylum,” she said.
