Dem in immigration talks claims Republicans are trying to help Trump
The U.S. asylum and border control bill faces a major skepticism after lawmakers fail to vote on its amended national security bill
A bipartisan plan to address U.S. asylum and border control policy faces major skepticism Monday as at least two dozen Senate Republicans cast serious doubt on the legislation’s chances.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., one of the negotiators who wrote the bill, told reporters in the capitol that he does not think a planned Wednesday vote on a motion start debate can be approved.
He wouldn’t go that far. He said that the bill needed to be amended in order to get more Republican support. But moving any further to the right risks losing enough Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold.
Funding for asylum judges and other programs is in the newly-released $118 billion national security bill.
The bill would allow the president to shut down parts of the border when daily border approaches spike, shorten the time frame for processing asylum claims to six months and increase legal pathways for immigration, Murphy said.
The result of months of tense negotiations is the result of the deal and it was made after House Republicans said that they wouldn’t support foreign aid if it was tied to policies to address a record influx of migrants at the border with Mexico.
Trump and House Republicans had been pressuring the Senate to block the bill even before its details were made public on Sunday, believing it would be a political victory for President Biden.
The attitude of the House is one of the reasons why it is hard to get members to come out and say no. “I am very disappointed that so many of our members came out as a hard no before the legislation was even released.”
The Border Protection agents’ union endorsed Trump and Murphy said there were some Republican-aligned groups that were supportive. I hope that isn’t true with respect to this bill.
The Democratic senator from Calif. said in his statement that the deal includes a new version of a failed Trump-era immigration policy that will cause more chaos at the border.
“I think that is a terrible outcome for the country,” Murphy said. I think it makes us weaker. I think it makes our border less secure. But it’s also a terrible political decision by Republicans because this country will see it for what it is, a decision to keep the country unsafe just because Donald Trump benefits from chaos.”
Immigration is shaping up to be a key issue in the 2024 presidential election, as border crossings reach new heights. Trump — the Republican primary frontrunner — has blamed Biden’s policies for the border crisis, and recent polls show that voters have more confidence in Trump’s ability to fix it.
He said Americans understand that immigration is an issue, with a lot of migrants crossing into the country on days when there aren’t enough police to patrol them.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson called itdead on arrival, while Trump trashed it as a gift to Democrats and a death wish for the Republican Party.
“[Republicans] can still work with us and get this bill passed through the Senate,” Murphy said. They have a couple of days to make that decision.
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Progressive Caucus have criticized the bill for being too tough on migrants and lacking key Democratic priorities, such as a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.
“Washington is kind of unfamiliar with an old-fashioned compromise that involves some Democrats voting no and some Republicans voting no,” Murphy said. That is what we’ve done here. We are taking an issue that has divided America and trying to find middle ground.
Murphy said the Republican’s only condition was that no of the money went to UNRWA. The U.S. and several other countries have paused funding for the agency after Israel alleged that a dozen of its employees participated in the Oct. 7 attack.
“There are many other groups like the Red Crescent that are operating effectively inside Gaza,” Murphy said. Money will be given to people who need it.
$60 billion in military aid is included in the bill. After nearly two years of war and tens of billions of dollars in funding, U.S. support for aid to Ukraine has diminished considerably. Most House Republicans, and many Republican voters, are opposed to giving Ukraine more money, even as the presidents of both countries warn that it’s running out.
The European Union announced last week it had reached a deal to include the equivalent of $54 billion in funding for Ukraine in its budget in the next three years, in a welcome boost.
Murphy said that the post- WW II world order is at stake because big nations don’t get to expand their borders by invading smaller nations.
And he warned that if Russian President Vladimir Putin wins in Ukraine, he could potentially set his sights on a NATO country, which could put U.S. service members at risk.
He said it is important to stop the U.S. from getting dragged into a war. It is cheap in our security and global security.
