SAN ANTONIO — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and fellow Republicans are concerned yet open to what's entailed in a new bill drafted in Washington that aims to tackle border security while leveraging financial aid for Ukraine and Israel.
Cornyn spoke during a policy panel discussion held in downtown San Antonio Monday morning. He was joined by senators from Montana, North Carolina, and Louisiana.
The $118 billion bipartisan bill, negotiated by Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) has drawn criticism from top House Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson who declared the bill would be “dead on arrival.”
“Texas is ground zero. It’s overwhelmed our order communities, the taxpayers of our state, the governor’s had to step in with National Guard and DPS officers,” Cornyn said. “This is a job for the federal government but when the federal government doesn’t do its job, what are we supposed to do.”
The Republican Texas senator couldn’t say whether he was definitively for or against the bill as he’s yet to read through the entire 370-page documents that entails funding for U.S. allies engulfed in their own conflicts.
“My biggest apprehension is that given the fact that President Biden has not used the current laws that are in effect, I worry what he’ll do with this new set of proposals and whether it’ll actually make any difference in this humanitarian crisis,” Cornyn said.
The federal government would be granted an expulsion authority if the average number of migrant crossings reaches at least 5,000 in a week.
President Joe Biden has said this authority would be used to effectively shut down the border.
The legislation would also allow officials to expedite the asylum process from years to six months while creating a new process for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to decide asylum claims without the courts.
“I am proud Leader McConnell and I who disagree on many issues, have never worked so closely together on legislation as we did on this because we both realized the gravity of the situation,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
While reservations remain for Cornyn and other senators tasked with voting on the monumental legislation come Wednesday, there’s still hope among lawmakers there can be substantial action taken toward border security.
Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy who’s still analyzing the bill, said there’s the potential for this legislation to prove beneficial in the long run.
“300,000 people that crossed into the United States illegally in the month of December. Under this bill that may have been cut to 100,000,” Cassidy said.
“That’s what we’re going to be asking ourselves. Is this the right answer. Does it make it incrementally better than the status quo,” Cornyn said.
For the first time, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has called on the government to close the border to migrants who do not pass through legal checkpoints. LULAC National President Domingo Garcia stressed there’s a need for bipartisan action on immigration reform free of political games.
Here's an excerpt from Garcia’s written statement:
“We demand immediate border closure to halt illegal activities! It’s about stopping human trafficking, drugs, and unauthorized refugee entries. LULAC supports legal migration, aiding genuine refugees and assisting source nations. Latino communities must be part of decisions. Congress, let’s work together for meaningful immigration reform now!”
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