Staff Reports
In recent news, it has come to light that the southern U.S. border is grappling with an overwhelming surge of illegal immigrants, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has finally admitted what we all already knew: our immigration system is broken and in need of a major overhaul.
GOP Holding Biden's Overseas Aid as Bargaining Chip in Order to Get Massive Victory on Immigration https://t.co/fBu6LGsXRK pic.twitter.com/DsHL3peon3
— Home Defense Gun (@HomeDefenseGun) November 30, 2023
The Biden administration, forced into action by Republicans, is now considering tightening up the asylum and humanitarian parole processes in exchange for approval of President Biden’s $106 billion year-end request for Ukraine, Israel, and national security needs. This comes as Mayorkas, the face of the administration’s immigration strategy, is facing impeachment proceedings from House Republicans over their failed border policies.
Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma has made it clear that the U.S. cannot continue to neglect its own border security while pouring resources into other countries. He stated that the country has been waiting for years for a secure border, and every year, the situation has only worsened.
A group of bipartisan senators has been in discussions regarding a potential deal that would allocate funds for international conflicts in exchange for adjustments to the asylum process. They are looking into making it more difficult for illegal immigrants to pass the initial screening for asylum claims and are even considering raising the threshold to a “more likely than not” standard for approval.
Furthermore, there are talks about limiting President Biden’s ability to use the humanitarian parole law to admit individuals temporarily into the country. Critics argue that the administration is stretching the parole authority to allow hundreds of thousands to enter the U.S. in ways that were not intended by Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has emphasized the need for substantial border security changes as part of Biden’s broader war funding package. However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has dismissed the GOP’s border security demands as extraneous to the negotiations, leading to further stalemate.
With the Biden administration scrambling for solutions at the border and facing record-high numbers of illegal crossings, the pressure is on as they gear up for the upcoming re-election campaign. Meanwhile, Republican front-runner Donald Trump is touting an aggressive stance on immigration, promising to launch the “largest domestic deportation” operation in U.S. history.
As the administration grapples with the border crisis, Mayorkas has been engaging in talks with senators from both parties as they try to hammer out a solution. The Republican push for border security reforms is causing quite a stir on Capitol Hill, and it remains to be seen how the negotiations will unfold in the coming days.
