Senate Democrats have reintroduced a bipartisan border security bill after it previously failed, hoping to challenge Republicans who helped draft it before the upcoming election. However, the Republican co-author of the bill, Sen. James Lankford, plans to vote against it this time, calling the move a “nonserious” attempt to score political points on illegal immigration at the southern border.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat who worked on the legislation with Lankford and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, explained that the new vote aims to give Republicans another chance to support the bill. Lankford, on the other hand, dismissed this, stating that there has been no effort from Democrats to make changes to the original proposal since it failed in February.
Despite Lankford and three other Senate Republicans previously voting for the bill, Republicans now criticize it as a political maneuver. The bill, which includes funding for border security, enhanced expulsion authority, improved asylum standards, and limitations on catch-and-release policies, is viewed as a response to the significant number of illegal border crossings.
While it is uncertain when Senate Democrats will hold another vote on the bill, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated a willingness to revisit it soon. Schumer criticized Republicans for playing politics with border issues and emphasized the need for bipartisan legislation to address the situation. However, Lankford expressed skepticism about the likelihood of progress before the election, attributing it to a lack of enthusiasm from both parties.
Overall, the reintroduction of the border security bill has sparked debate between Democrats and Republicans, with each side accusing the other of prioritizing political motives over solving the border crisis.
