FAIR: Reviving the Failed Senate Border Bill is Political Gamesmanship, Not a Serious Attempt to Secure Our Borders

The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in response to the defeat of Senate legislation falsely billed as a border security bill:

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- "Once again, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is engaging in political deception on immigration and border security. Rather than debating serious legislation to secure our borders and reverse the damage to the country inflicted by the policies of the Biden administration, he is reviving a bill that failed to gain even a simple majority when it was first introduced in February.

"The so-called border security bill is not a remedy to the historic surge of illegal immigration that has washed over our borders since President Biden took office. What it is, is an attempt to shift the blame for this crisis away from the administration's policies. This is not 'the strongest, most comprehensive border security bill we've seen in a generation,' as Sen. Schumer claims. In fact, it is not a border security bill at all, and would encourage even greater levels of illegal immigration.

The legislation Senate Democrats are attempting to pass would:

• Allow up to 5,000 illegal aliens a day, 1.8 million a year, to enter the United States, before the president is required to close the border.
• Require that anyone who claims asylum be released into the country and granted work authorization almost immediately, thereby incentivizing greater abuse of our asylum policies.
• Fail to stop the president's abuse of parole authority.
• Award hundreds of millions in grants to NGOs that encourage mass illegal immigration and profit from it.

"While Sen. Schumer is wasting time and engaging in political gamesmanship by reviving a bill he knows has no chance of passage, he defiantly refuses to bring up legislation, already passed by the House, that would restore order to our borders and integrity to our immigration system. That bill, H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, was approved more than a year ago, but has yet to receive any serious consideration in the Senate.

"Since H.R. 2 was passed, more than 3 million people have crossed our borders illegally, endangering national security, public safety and burdening communities, while Sen. Schumer seeks ways to pin the blame on Republicans instead of taking meaningful action to end a raging crisis."

Contact: Joey Chester, [email protected], 202-740-7355

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)