THE HILL
The long-awaited bipartisan border agreement met swift opposition from hard-line conservatives and allies of former President Trump within hours of negotiators unveiling the 370-page package.
They decried it as an “amnesty bill” that “erases our borders,” attacked the Ukraine funding that’s included and called it “a complete sell-out,” “awful” and “totally unacceptable.”
“Let me be clear: The Senate Border Bill will NOT receive a vote in the House,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Here’s what the people pushing this ‘deal; aren’t telling you: It accepts 5,000 illegal immigrants a day and gives automatic work permits to asylum recipients—a magnet for more illegal immigration.”
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) also attacked the bill in a statement.
“This Joe Biden/Chuck Schumer Open Border Bill is an absolute non-starter and will further incentivize thousands of illegals to pour in across our borders daily,” Stefanik wrote. “House Republicans have already passed HR2 – the Secure Our Border Act, which would actually secure the border and return to the effective Trump policies with the most secure border in our nation’s history.”
The $118 billion bill includes the $20 billion border component, along with funding for Israel, Ukraine and other foreign policy priorities.
The border deal specifically includes provisions to raise standards for asylum screening and to process claims faster. The deal also ends the practice known as “catch and release,” and it provides the administration new authority to close the border to most migrants when crossings reach a set threshold.
While text for the border deal had not been released before Sunday, Trump had made clear he did not want Congress to pass any significant border security legislation that could be seen as a win for President Biden ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
His allies were quick to pounce on the bill Sunday.
“This bill reads like it was drafted in Kiev. It’s a massive issue that a border bill for AMERICA is more about funding the wars of foreign countries rather than our own interests and people,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wrote in a statement, adding, “Any Republican who votes for this will betray the American people.”
Conservative Senate Republicans also slammed the proposal…
