Senator Lindsey Graham on Sunday said President Biden’s policy of allowing immigrants to stay in the US while awaiting asylum is what is holding up a bipartisan deal on Ukraine aid and border security.
Republicans have long criticized the Biden administration’s so-called “parole” policy, which allows immigrants to enter the US and remain here while their asylum claims are played out in court.
Senate negotiators for both parties struggled to iron out their differences on asylum policy — and ultimately couldn’t reach an agreement — before adjourning for the winter recess, Graham said.
“The shutdown is parole,” Graham (R-SC) told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “This administration does not want to give up the tools they are abusing.
“Under our parole laws, you can bring people into the country who are out of the country or in the country individually,” Graham said.
“They have taken the parole statute and given mass parole, blanket parole,” he said of the Democratic White House.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) have been the top negotiators looking to strike a deal.
Senate negotiators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) have led efforts to get a bipartisan deal done on border security and aid to Ukraine. Getty Images
Republicans have made border security a priority in the path of additional aid to war-torn Ukraine, which is expected to run out of funds in the coming weeks.
Biden has requested $61.4 billion in additional aid for Ukraine, money that was included in a broader October package proposal that featured support for Israel, Indo-Pacific allies and border security.
But Republicans viewed the package’s border security provisions as woefully inadequate, sparking negotiations.
During fiscal year 2023, more than 2.47 million encounters with immigrants were reported near the US-Mexico border, with more than 240,000 asylum seekers detained in October alone, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection.
Many immigrants who enter the country claim asylum near the border, then are released to the US with the expectation that they will appear for court hearings that may be years away because of a large backlog of cases.
Progressives generally believe that seeking asylum is a basic human right and are wary of placing more barriers to seeking refuge in the US.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was deeply involved with the so-called Gang of Eight senators who helped sign a comprehensive immigration reform package in 2013 that passed the Senate but was not voted on in the House. AP
Moderate Democrats appear to be somewhat in favor of closing loopholes in the asylum process but unwilling to go as far as Republicans.
“We want to change the law and push resources to the border so that fewer people cross and far fewer people are released into the country who don’t have a valid asylum claim,” Murphy told Connecticut Public Radio earlier this month.
“Republicans want to close the border, just close it, so people who are legitimately fleeing violence and torture don’t have an opportunity to present their case.”
As if to end the impasse before Christmas, the White House sent representatives to try to help reach an agreement.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) has insisted that he is working hard to help secure a deal. CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
The White House has open-ended powers to deport immigrants without screening for asylum under certain conditions when daily crossing levels are particularly high, the Washington Post reported.
The administration also reportedly floated an expansion of detention facilities and increased deportations to appease Republicans.
Biden has publicly stated that he has made a compromise offer to Republicans, although he has not disclosed any details.
But the breakthrough agreement proved elusive before senators left for the holidays.
Another complication is the “very technical” language of immigration law, according to Lankford.
A group of newly arrived migrants board a US Border Patrol van to be taken to a temporary transit center after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico to Eagle Pass, Texas. GO TO NAKAMURA
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has described the effort to overhaul the US immigration legal system as the most significant change since former President Ronald Reagan helped overhaul the system in 1986.
Congress is expected to revisit the issue when it reconvenes in January. The negotiator continued the discussion during the break.
In addition, Congress is grappling with a January 19 deadline to pass the first tranche of the spending bill or risk a partial government shutdown.
So far, no spending bill has cleared either chamber.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
