Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is planning to dust off border security legislation that collapsed back in February for a standalone vote this week. Although the bill likely will not pass, the planned vote dovetails with President Biden’s expected executive actions on the border as Democrats scramble for ways to prevent backlash from voters this fall over the ongoing migrant crisis. “We are hopeful this bipartisan proposal will bring serious-minded Republicans back to the table to advance this bipartisan solution for our border,” Schumer (D-NY) wrote in a letter to colleagues Sunday.
“I will be honest: I do not expect all Democrats to support this legislation,” the 73-year-old added. The previous version of the bill set aside roughly $20 billion for border security, shifted most asylum cases to the Department of Homeland Security for processing with more stringent standards to judge claims, and the authority to automatically deport migrants entering the US after crossings surpass 4,000 per day (that provision becomes mandatory after crossings eclipse 5,000 per day). Back in February, following roughly four months of negotiations, Sens.
James Lankford (R-Okla.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.
) unveiled the text for a deal to tackle the border crisis and marshal aid for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. Initially, Republicans had insisted that border security be paired with any assistance package for war-torn Ukraine. But Republicans pann.