Senate Republicans unveil border security demands for Ukraine funding
by Alexander Bolton - 11/06/23 3:09 PM ET
Senate Republicans, led by Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Tom Cotton (Ark.) and James Lankford (Okla.), on Monday unveiled a list of immigration reforms they will demand be attached to any foreign aid package funding the war in Ukraine, signaling a difficult negotiation with Democrats in the next few weeks.
The Republican senators who have been in talks with a broader cross-section of the Senate GOP conference want a variety of changes to immigration and asylum policy, which Democrats have so far resisted.
They want the Department of Homeland Security to resume construction of the southwestern border wall, beef up pay for Border Patrol agents, reform the nation’s asylum laws, crack down on humanitarian parole of illegal migrants and deny asylum to migrants who cross through safe third countries before coming to the United States.
“We must make policy changes to reduce the flow of immigration. The world is on fire and threats to our homeland are at an all-time high. President Biden’s border policies are not working and it’s time to change course. Our proposal makes the necessary changes that our country needs at this critical time,” said Graham, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a statement accompanying a one-page list of proposals.
The GOP senators want to raise the standard for asylum requests for migrants who claim “credible fear of persecution.” They want claimants to demonstrate it would be “more likely than not” they would face persecution if they remain in their home countries — a higher bar than the current requirement of facing a “significant possibility” of persecution.
They say migrants should be required to request asylum at legal ports of entry, which they argue would make it easier for Border Patrol agents to focus on drug smugglers and criminals.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4295991-senate-republicans-unveil-border-security-demands-for-ukraine-funding/
