Published December 18, 2023
Republican Senators are stiff-arming a rush by Democrats and White House officials to get an immigration deal this week.
“Rushed and secret negotiations with Democrats who want an open border and who caused the current crisis will not secure the border,” said a letter from 15 GOP Senators to Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) who is a deputy to GOP leader, Sen Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The December 17 letter says:
The American public deserves an open and transparent process which cannot occur until the House returns the week of January 8, 2024. Accordingly, we request this Conference be held the week of January Sth, but not before.
The letter is signed by a wide range of Senators, including Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who launched the 2013 “Gang of Eight” amnesty push. The letter is aimed at Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who is overseeing the border negotiations.
The letter is bad news for the White House because President Joe Biden needs a quick deal to minimize the visibility of the migration flood throughout the 2024 election.
Biden’s election problem is that his Cuban-born, pro-migration border chief — Alejandro Mayorkas — has created an out-of-control border flood in a campaign year. On Sunday, for example, Biden’s deputies closed legal routes across the border to reassign the border officers to the mission of registering and releasing Biden’s flood of illegal migrants.
More than 10,000 illegal migrants are flooding across the border each day — in addition to thousands who sneak over the border or fly into airports alongside thousands of legal immigrants and temporary workers. That adds up to 3 million more illegal migrants before election day — and many are already on their way to the border.
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SOURCE: www.breitbart.com
RELATED: US is SUSPENDING freight train crossings at two Texas checkpoints after videos show flood of migrants riding trains toward US and smugglers using rails to sneak people across border
Published December 18, 2023
- The international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso will close on Monday as increasing numbers of migrants jump onto the trains
- Border Patrol said the bridges are closed ‘in order to redirect personnel to assist the U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody’
- Migrant arrivals are surging, with crossings now by train: early this month 12,000 migrant encounters on a single day were reported, breaking records
Two rail bridges carrying freight between Mexico and Texas are being closed by the Border Patrol to try and stem the ‘recent resurgence’ in cargo carriages being used by migrants.
It is not the first time the bridges have been closed, but the economic impact is severe. In September, a three-day closure left $1 billion worth of produce sitting idle in trains stuck on either side.
The bridges into El Paso and Eagle Pass will close starting 8am Monday, the Customs and Border Protection agency said on Sunday – their latest drastic measure to try and reduce the arrivals.
The CBP said it was closing the bridge because smugglers were using the freight trains with increasing frequency to transport their human cargo. The trains are extremely dangerous for migrants, with many clinging to the sides and falling, losing limbs and breaking bones.
‘CBP is continuing to surge all available resources to safely process migrants in response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals,’ the agency said on Sunday.
‘After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities.’
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SOURCE: www.dailymail.co.uk
RELATED: Senate to return next week in hopes of pre-Christmas border deal
Published December 14, 2023
The Senate will return Monday in the hopes of getting a border deal to unlock aid for Ukraine before Christmas.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) decided Thursday to keep members in town next week, saying in remarks on the floor that negotiators will have more runway to seek a deal that has been elusive for members.
“If we believe something is important and urgent, we should stay and get the job done. That is certainly the case with the supplemental,” Schumer said. “For the information of all senators, after we finish today, the Senate will return Monday. That will give negotiators from the White House, Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans a time to work through the weekend in an effort to reach a framework agreement.”
“Members need to be here next week. We have to get this done,” he added.
Schumer added that members should expect to vote on a shell bill that would eventually serve as the vehicle to the supplemental package including a potential border deal.
The Senate had been scheduled to adjourn at the end of this week for its holiday recess.
The chamber is expected to need more time to finish work, including reauthorization of Federal Aviation Administration funding and a number of nominations, including potential votes on four-star military promotions that are being held up by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).
Negotiations have been ongoing for weeks, but only in recent days have administration officials taken a meaningful role in talks. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with Senate negotiators, top White House staffers and Senate leadership on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
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SOURCE: www.thehill.com
