Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly cautioned Republican colleagues against supporting a bipartisan border deal introduced Monday.
In a closed-door meeting, McConnell has recommended Senate Republicans block the bill in an upcoming Wednesday vote, according to Punchbowl News' Andrew Desiderio.
The bipartisan bill was negotiated by Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, a Republican, Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema, an Independent, and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat. The proposed legislation notably activates border emergency authority if "an average of 5,000 or more" illegal border crossings happen in a seven-day period, or if a combined total of 8,500 border crossings are observed on any one calendar day.
Per Desiderio, the Senate Majority Leader has recommended a "no" on the motion's cloture. McConnell's said "the political mood in the country has changed" in regard to his opposition but did not express opposition to negotiations made by Lankford.
McConnell released a statement on the bill Monday evening and lamented President Joe Biden's open border policies.
"President Biden's campaign promise to welcome illegal aliens at the border overwhelmed a broken asylum system that unified Republican government had tried desperately to fix in the face of Democrat obstruction," McConnell wrote. "His Administration took away critical tools like 'Remain in Mexico' and strong enforcement priorities that CBP and ICE had relied on to stem the tide of illegal arrivals."
The Senate Majority Leader said the Biden administration's "refusal" to enact border security measures has created the unprecedented border crisis along with "urgent humanitarian and security consequences [that] affect every state." "It is time to force the President to start cleaning up his mess and equip future leaders with a system that works and new emergency tools to restore order," McConnell continued and thanked Lankford for his efforts to negotiate the border deal. "America's sovereignty is being tested here at home, and our credibility is being tested by emboldened adversaries around the world," he continued. "The challenges we face will not resolve themselves, nor will our adversaries wait for America to muster the resolve to meet them." McConnell said the Senate must "carefully consider" the proposed deal and "prepare to act" in response.
House Republican leadership released a statement declaring the bill "DEAD on arrival" if passed by the Senate.
“House Republicans oppose the Senate immigration bill because it fails in every policy area needed to secure our border and would actually incentivize more illegal immigration,” reads the statement penned by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Steve Scalise, House Minority Whip Tom Emmer, and Chairwoman Elise Stefanik.
“Among its many flaws, the bill expands work authorizations for illegal aliens while failing to include critical asylum reforms," House Republican leadership wrote. "Even worse, its language allowing illegals to be ‘released from physical custody’ would effectively endorse the Biden ‘catch and release’ policy.”
“The so-called ‘shutdown’ authority in the bill is anything but, riddled with loopholes that grant far too much discretionary authority to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – who has proven he will exploit every measure possible, in defiance of the law, to keep the border open,” they continued. “The bill also fails to adequately stop the President’s abuse of parole authority and provides for taxpayer funds to fly and house illegal immigrants in hotels through the FEMA Shelter and Services Program.”
“America’s sovereignty is at stake,” the statement concluded. “Any consideration of this Senate bill in its current form is a waste of time. It is DEAD on arrival in the House. We encourage the U.S. Senate to reject it.”
