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The $118 billion bill includes sweeping changes to the nation’s asylum system and a mechanism to effectively close the border to most immigrants, especially when there are large numbers of arrivals, a move that Republican opponents said It was announced Sunday night after months of negotiations, after many made the wrong decision. He claimed it was a boon for immigrants.
After a closed-door meeting with Republican senators Monday evening, the deal’s chief Republican negotiator, Sen. James Lankford (Oklahoma), said Republicans could unite to block the bill as soon as Wednesday. He said he might vote against the bill himself. . Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Republican, said everyone agreed that a procedural vote expected Wednesday was “premature.”
Some Republican senators, including Lankford, said the session was debating whether to spend more time considering amendments to the bill after the vote was blocked. But immigration reform has proven so detrimental to Republican lawmakers that it seems unlikely they will reach an agreement to change the bill in the near future.
The rapid decline in approval ratings in the Senate reflects the upside-down politics surrounding the border deal within the Republican Party that began weeks ago when President Trump began denouncing it. The staunchly conservative Border Patrol agents union supported the deal Monday, saying it would “codify legal authority that U.S. Border Patrol agents have not had in the past.” Immigrant and refugee rights groups, including Amnesty International USA, also denounced the bill as containing “the most extreme anti-immigrant proposals this country has seen in 100 years.”
But a growing number of Republicans in Congress say the bill is too lenient.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and his leadership team had initially called for the border reforms passed by the House to be attached to the Ukraine funding, but expressed dissatisfaction in a joint statement, saying the bill would not close the border. “failure” to secure and encourage further illegal immigration.
“Considering this Senate bill in its current form is a waste of time,” they wrote. “He was dead on arrival at his home. We encourage the United States Senate to reject this.”
President Trump has made references to the border a central part of his 2024 campaign message, telling Republican lawmakers not to support the bill even before negotiators have released the document.
“This is a very bad bill for his career,” Trump said Monday of Lankford, the Republican chief negotiator who is one of the chamber’s most conservative members, in an interview with Dan Bongino. he said.
Asked to respond to Trump’s comments on CNN, Lankford said, “He’s focused on the campaign.” “Regardless of the election cycle, we will do whatever we can to make our nation safe as quickly as possible.”
Mr. Trump and his allies have wrongly interpreted the bill, which would also authorize the hiring of thousands of additional asylum and border workers and more detention beds, as codifying an increase in illegal immigration into the country. are doing. Lankford called the false reporting “ridiculous” in an interview with Fox News on Monday, but several Republican senators said the false reporting is already damaging the base.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whose staff is helping negotiate the deal and finding ways to get lawmakers to vote for support for Ukraine and Israel, said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Congressman (Republican) also expressed support. -Maine), moderate.
“My colleagues know my position,” McConnell said early Monday. “They know as much as I do that America’s adversaries in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran are working together to weaken us. And they know that it’s time for the Senate to finally respond forcefully. I know it’s coming.”
But as of Monday night, at least 20 Republican senators had expressed opposition to the deal, and two Democratic senators also criticized the deal as being too harsh on asylum seekers. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) issued a statement saying the United States should not provide new “dollars” to Israel’s war in Gaza, even though he said he voted no to the entire policy. It is unclear whether he will pitch or not.
The bill would need 60 votes to pass its first procedural vote, and Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York has indicated a vote will take place on Wednesday.The House plans to vote on a stand-alone bill. A $17.6 billion supplemental aid bill for Israel was introduced this week, intended to pressure the Senate to narrow down a larger package. The White House issued a statement Monday saying President Biden would veto the bill if it were introduced.
Among the Republicans voting no were Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who called for new Senate Republican leadership to be installed in a blow to Mr. McConnell, and Sen. Ted Cruz, who criticized the deal as “insane.” It also includes right-wing agitators such as Congressman (Texas). ” he said in a social media post. But far more telling about the bill’s potential prospects are comments from some senators who are in the middle of the Republican conference or have ties to Republican leadership.
Leadership member Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said border rules are “in jeopardy.”
“You should have given me James.” [Lankford] You should read the text before you start expressing your opposition,” Ernst said. “That being said, it’s already out there and it’s already having an impact on the public, so we need to take that into consideration as we move forward.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an ally of Mr. McConnell, said he had “questions and serious concerns” about the bill, suggesting there were problems with the way it progressed in the Senate. Sen. James E. Risch (Idaho), the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a defense hawk, hinted at opposition in a social media post, calling for enforcement of current border laws to “stop this madness.” . ”
Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and a member of the leadership team, also said he opposes the bill.
Some Republicans have pointed to what they see as a “loophole” in the border emergency provision that allows the president to block border closures in national security emergencies, and others have criticized the bill’s He pointed to the fact that it will speed up work permits for applicants. Those who have passed new and higher hurdles, among other concerns.
The bill was already causing division and infighting among Republican officials as of Monday. The meeting of Republican communications staffers became controversial after Lee complained that he felt betrayed by Lankford’s staffers. Lee was marched out of the meeting, followed by laughter from other aides, according to two attendees who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Another meeting of Republican policy staffers also turned into a shouting match and an exchange of criticism over the deal, according to two Republican aides.
“There’s a lot of tension across the board,” one Senate Republican aide said. “This bill is going nowhere. Sadly, it only divides Republicans and puts Mr. Lankford in an unfair position.”
Another Republican aide said many conference attendees believed an immigration deal was always doomed to fail, given the enthusiasm of the Republican base on the issue and the need to compromise at least to some degree with Democrats to reach a deal. He said that
“You can’t kill something that isn’t alive,” the aide said.
Other Democrats also said they were unhappy with the bill.
Sen. Alex Padilla said the president would consider advancing Trump-era immigration policies that Democrats fiercely resisted and that the president himself campaigned against in exchange for aid to allies that Republicans already support. We are deeply concerned that this may happen.” – California) and Congresswoman Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Immigrant rights groups also condemned the bill.
“as [a] Candidate Joe Biden has vowed to return to humane immigration policies, but as president he has repeatedly distanced himself from former President Trump’s cruel strategies,” said Amy Fisher, Refugee and Immigrant Rights Director at Amnesty International USA, in a statement. mentioned in.
Marianna Sotomayor, Marianne Levine and Paul Kane contributed to this report.
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