Here are the details of the new bipartisan border security bill Trump doesn’t want passed

26 January 2024

US Senate negotiators have reached a framework on a border security bill that will be unveiled as soon as next week, with a vote before the election likely despite former President Donald Trump's efforts to delay it.

According to CNN, Sens. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona) have agreed on a border package aimed at curbing the flow of migrants at the Southern border. The framework stipulates that the Department of Homeland Security would be granted emergency powers to shut down the border outside of all legal points of entry if there are more than 5,000 encounters at the border in one week. Special considerations would still be in place for migrants who can prove that they're fleeing torture or persecution in their home countries.

In addition to the strict measures at the border, the bill would also drastically shorten the period of time in which asylum cases can be considered from 10 years to just six months. And even under the new emergency powers, there would still be a mandatory minimum of 1,400 asylum applications to be processed for migrants coming through ports of entry. President Joe Biden voiced support for the framework on Friday and has said previously that he would sign a bipartisan bill if it made it to his desk.

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If the bill were currently in effect, the border would already be shut down as there were a record 300,000-plus border crossings in December alone. Many of those crossings were in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) is currently defying a Supreme Court order to cut razor wire along the Southern border. Abbott argues the razor wire is necessary to stop an "invasion," but the Court reiterated in its ruling that the federal government — not the states — has jurisdiction over national borders.

While the final details of the legislation are still forthcoming, the bill would represent the most significant immigration-related legislation in decades if passed. However, Trump has been lobbying Republicans to not support any border legislation until they get a "perfect" bill, which means its passage is not likely in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives even if it passes the Democratic-run US Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) had been pushing for funding for border security to be included in a larger foreign aid package that would also include new appropriations for Ukraine's ongoing war against Russia, Taiwan's defense of its own borders in the face of threats from China and Israel as it continues its bombing of Gaza. But this week, McConnell acknowledged that the politics of the November presidential election had complicated efforts to pass a bill, which suggests Trump is in the ear of McConnell's caucus.

On Thursday, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) accused the former president of sabotaging a legislative solution to border security in order to reap political rewards in November, saying Trump wants an indefinite delay "because he wants to blame Biden."

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