A one-page memo produced this week by the limited immigration group NumbersUSA argues that the House’s border security bill actually weakens current law and could act as a shield to allow Republicans to vote for “amnesty.”
The organization explains in the document that the Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul’s committee-passed Border Security Results Act (H.R. 1417) weakens laws in three specific ways, “is virtually identical to the border language in the original Senate Gang of Eight bill,” and “is intended to provide cover to Republicans to later vote for amnesty.”
In the document NumbersUSA compares provisions in the House’s border bill with provisions in the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism.
President Obama called on House Republicans to move forward with immigration reform Thursday. The Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill in June.
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McCaul reacted to the one-pager by reiterating his commitment to border security.
“Contrary to what the Administration says, our borders are not secure,” he said in a statement to TheDC. “As Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, it is my job to work on fixing this problem. We must force the Administration to finally give our border states the tools and manpower they need to secure the border, and make DHS prove that their efforts are working. HR 1417 only addresses border security and until the border is proven secure, and our homeland security is improved, we should not discuss broad changes to our immigration system.”