Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to get a "bipartisan" border bill through the chamber this week after previous attempts failed. The previous proposal was negotiated between Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Arizona; James Lankford, R-Oklahoma; and Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut.
The bill would include $7 billion in funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and give the government additional deportation power.
The legislation struggled to gain traction among Republicans even with Lankford's support. During March's State of the Union address, President Joe Biden urged Congress to pass the bill. Lankford was caught agreeing with the president, mouthing "that's true" when the president said that hiring 4,300 more asylum officers would reduce the backlog of immigration cases from six years to six months.
"This bipartisan border legislation would deliver the significant policy changes, resources, and personnel needed to secure our border and make our country safer," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Immigration Biden administration challenges new Iowa law that targets illegal immigration Justin Boggs 10:43 AM, May 10, 2024 In a letter to Senate colleagues, Schumer blamed former President Donald Trump for sinking a border bill. "The former president made clear he would rather preserve the issue for his campaign than solve the issue in a bipartisan fashion.
On cue, many of our Republican colleagues abruptly reversed course on their prior support, announcin.
