Bipartisan Group Of Senators Release Border Security Bill

On Sunday, a bipartisan group of senators released the text of a compromise bill addressing the recent surge of migrants crossing the southern border illegally. The group has been working for months in secret to negotiate a compromise between the parties. 

The goal of the compromise is to reduce the number of migrants entering the U.S. and unlock tens of billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel. 

Key elements of the deal would reduce the number of migrants granted parole, stricter enforcement of immigration policies and faster processing and expulsion of migrants.

GOP senators believe that granting parole to migrants encourages a greater influx of migrants and want to make it more difficult for migrants to make asylum claims. The deal also looks to expand the overall capacity of holding centers, make the process of expelling migrants who entered the country illegally faster and increase the number of staff on the Border Patrol.

Democrats believe it necessary to retain the ability to grant parole, by which the president can permit migrants to stay in the country until their cases are heard, and allow for humane treatment of migrants and protection for refugee groups. 

The immigration system has been overwhelmed by the number of migrants in the last year. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service said that encounters at the southwest border of the States have seen a steady increase over the past few months. In November, the average number of encounters was 8,000 per day, while December saw an average of 12,000.

The issue has damaged President Joe Biden‘s approval rating, with voters consistently giving him low marks for his border policy.

Article by Simone Bieglmeier