- A leading Republican senator said he believes some in the party want bipartisan immigration negotiations.
- “Some people are saying, 'Hey, we don't want Biden to actually get credit for doing anything near the border,'” Sen. James Lankford said.
- Mr. Lankford has helped lead negotiations on the trade-off of tougher immigration laws in exchange for aid to Ukraine.
Republican Sen. James Lankford, a leading Republican in bipartisan immigration talks, said some conservatives are pushing back against the deal over concerns it could hand President Joe Biden a political victory. He said he wants to ruin his chances.
“Some people are saying, 'Hey, I don't want Biden to actually get credit for doing anything at the border. Obviously he's a big deal,' Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, told the Washington Post. Because it caused confusion,'' he said.
Lankford has been a central figure in months of talks pairing President Joe Biden's request for aid to Ukraine with tougher immigration enforcement. Biden called on leaders to come to the White House earlier this week to stress the urgency of securing military funding for Ukraine's war against Russia.
The possibility of stalled negotiations aimed at hurting Biden's re-election chances is yet another reminder that the November presidential election is rapidly approaching. Polls also show that Americans are far from impressed with the current state of affairs at the southern border. In December, federal authorities recorded the highest number of illegal border crossings in a single month ever.
Republicans have described the border issue as a national security disaster, raising questions about why they would abandon a deal that could bring about some of the changes Republicans seek.
The political situation is incredibly dangerous.
Conservatives and President Donald Trump have expressed skepticism about the possibility of a Senate-led deal.
“I have everything I need to stop the incursion of millions of people, many from unknown regions, into this once-great and soon-to-be-great country. I don't think we should have a border agreement at all unless there is,'' Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth on Wednesday night.
Many skeptics point to the possibility that Republicans will take control of Washington in November's election. Some House Republicans have said they would like to finalize the immigration reform bill, known as HR-2, but given the House bill's conservative nature compared to current law, the request is unlikely to go ahead in the Senate. It won't be a start.
House Speaker Mike Johnson can't afford to further anger conservative lawmakers who need to maintain a slim majority, especially in the face of the possibility of a limited government shutdown.
On the left, some Democratic members are skeptical of the talks. Immigrant rights advocates say none of the arguments include a path to citizenship or protections for so-called Dreamers, making it unprecedented. Historically, increased border enforcement has been combined with increased protections for the millions of illegal immigrants already in the United States.
