House Republican leaders have formally announced their intention to oppose the bipartisan border security deal unveiled in the Senate on Sunday.
Republican support for the bill is disappearing by the hour as more prominent Republicans speak out in criticism.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana): “House Republicans oppose the Senate immigration bill, which fails in every policy area necessary to secure our borders and actually encourages more illegal immigration.” Because it becomes.” Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Republican, Louisiana. Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said in a joint statement Monday.
“Among its many flaws, the bill expands work authorization for illegal aliens but fails to include important asylum reform. Worse, it allows illegal aliens to be ‘released from physical custody.’” The language would effectively support Biden’s ‘catch and release’ policy.”
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House Speaker Mike Johnson leads Republican leadership in statement opposing border deal (Getty Images)
They also argued that the bill gives too much power to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who House Republicans are seeking to impeach this week.
“The so-called ‘shutdown’ powers in the bill are riddled with loopholes that give Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas too much discretion and demonstrate that he intends to do everything in his power to keep the government in line with the law. Borders is open,” House leadership said. “This bill also fails to adequately deter the president from abusing his parole power and deducts taxpayer funds to board undocumented immigrants on planes and house them in hotels through FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program. It stipulates that it will be provided.”
They reiterated their earlier call for the Senate to take up HR2, the border security bill passed by House Republicans last summer. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York criticized the bill as a failure.
“This bill contains the elements needed to actually stem the flow of illegal aliens and end the current crisis. The Senate must consider this immediately. We are in crisis.”
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House Republicans are pushing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. (Getty Images)
“Considering this Senate bill in its current form is a waste of time. The bill is dead on arrival in the House of Representatives. We recommend that the United States Senate reject the bill.”
If passed, the 370-page border and security supplemental funding bill would give President Biden the authority to temporarily close the border. It would also raise the standards for immigrants to apply for asylum and speed up the process by which claims are adjudicated.
The bill also includes a total of 250,000 new visas over five years and a legal path to citizenship for Afghans who fled to the United States when Kabul fell to the Taliban. .
But many Republicans argue that is not enough to secure the border, citing record numbers of migrants encountered at the southern border since 2021.
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Sen. Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, opposes the deal. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Since the text was unveiled on Sunday, several leading Republican lawmakers have announced their opposition to the bill, potentially putting its passage in jeopardy.
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They include Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee and a member of the Senate Republican leadership, who said Monday that “House Republicans are united in supporting this bill.” “There is no point in even introducing the bill because we are opposed to it,” he said. It goes to the Senate…When this bill comes to the Senate floor this week, I plan to vote against it. ”
At least a dozen Republican senators also publicly oppose the bill, which Schumer said would be voted on this week.
