“We’ve seen enough,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) declared Sunday night.
Just hours after Senate negotiators unveiled a pro-immigration border bill, Prime Minister Johnson vowed the bill would never pass the House of Commons.
“This bill is even worse than we expected and far from ending the border disaster the president has wrought,” Johnson wrote on X. “As the Democratic chief negotiator declared, ‘the border will never close’ under this bill.”
I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected and will come nowhere close to ending the border disaster the president has wrought. As the Democratic chief negotiator declared, “the border will never close” under this bill.
If this bill reaches the House…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 5, 2024
Johnson referred to a statement by lead Democratic negotiator, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who rightly noted that under bipartisan agreement, “the border will never close.”
Murphy emphasized that the bill includes a “requirement” that the president must concentrate asylum applications at land ports of entry if more than 5,000 people are passing through in a day. Borders will not be closed, but insurance claims will have to be processed at the port. This allows for a more orderly and humane asylum processing system. ”
5/ Requirement for the President to collect asylum applications at land ports of entry if more than 5,000 people are passing through in a day. Borders will not be closed, but insurance claims will have to be processed at the port.
This allows for a more orderly and humane asylum processing system.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 4, 2024
However, his post is misleading. The threshold that would allow authorities to declare a new state of emergency is 8,500 migrant encounters per day, rather than 5,000. An average of 5,000 immigrants a day would need to cross into the U.S. for seven days before the secretary’s state of emergency powers would be triggered.
And despite Murphy’s claims, the bill’s language says the secretary “must”, not “shall,” act as border authority.
Further weakening the language, the president has the power to waive the proclamation for 45 days.
Despite Prime Minister Johnson’s insistence that the bill will not pass the House, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will trigger the process to allow the bill to be voted on this Monday. expected to start.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News’ Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
