WASHINGTON: Democratic leaders of the US Senate said Monday they would reintroduce a border security bill killed by Republicans in a bid to win a key election victory for President Joe Biden’s party.
Polls have identified illegal crossings from Mexico as a top concern for voters ahead of the November presidential contest between Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that he would release the border bill after months of negotiations by Republicans, Democrats and independents, but that it still has little chance of success.
The measure was backed by Democrats facing congressional elections, but was blocked by Republicans in February over opposition from former President Trump, who made the border a central campaign issue.
“(When) we introduced this bill earlier this year, many of our Republican colleagues were surprised, at least privately, at how strong it was. It looks like we have a bill that both sides can tie their hands together. Let’s pass it together,” he said.
“Of course, we all know what happened. Donald Trump happened. He got into the border debate and spoke out against the bill, and other Republican supporters fell like dominoes.”
Republicans see the bill’s revival as a political exercise designed to bolster Democrats in tight races and distance themselves from Biden’s border record, which saw his record illegal late last year.
Schumer, along with 10 Republicans and 23 Democrats up for re-election in November, wants to cling to a 51-49 Senate majority in seats where immigration is a key issue.
The bill, which overhauls the immigration system, increases staffing at the southern border and gives emergency powers to close crossings when they cross certain thresholds, represents the toughest immigration crackdown in a generation.
But won’t get a simple majority – let alone the 60 votes needed to overcome DPR’s deadlock tactics.
Schumer said not every Democrat would support the legislation, with Hispanic members and a small number of progressives expected to join every Republican in a “no” vote.
House Republican leaders said Monday that the bill would be “dead on arrival” if considered in the lower chamber.
The House last year passed the Border Security Act, which Republicans said would end the crisis by doing things like rebuilding the border wall and rolling back Trump’s policy of requiring asylum seekers to stay in Mexico.
The measure aims to purge the country of undocumented workers through mass surveillance, make it harder to apply for asylum, cut services for undocumented immigrants and roll back protections for migrant children.
Democrats say the sweeping legislation is one of the most sweeping immigration laws Congress has ever seen. It was not introduced in the Senate.
