RUSSO: Senate Republicans Must Reject ‘Grand Bargain’ On Border Security, Unite Behind House-Passed Proposal

In May, the House swiftly passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, in response to a self-inflicted border crisis perpetuated by the policies of the Biden administration.

This bill represents perhaps the most comprehensive set of policies ever passed by the House of Representatives to address the various issues that have led to over 7.5 million nationwide encounters and nearly two million known gotaways since President Biden was sworn into office in Jan. 2021. 

Notably, H.R. 2 requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume border wall construction, offers increased technology and retention bonuses for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), mandates the use of E-Verify nationwide, and addresses the abuse of our asylum and parole processes. In addition, it limits the use of the CBP One App, reforms the TVPRA to address the release of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs), and provides vital resources for our CBP agents to perform their mission. 

In September, Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz introduced the Senate companion to the Secure the Border Act. And indeed, during debt ceiling negotiations in June, all but one Republican Senator voted for an amendment by Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall that included all the language of the House-passed version of H.R. 2. With a Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate, however, there are significant barriers to passage. Even with sanctuary cities in deep-blue states reeling from the impact of relatively small numbers of illegal aliens, Democrats seem ideologically committed to resisting any commonsense reforms like those contained in H.R. 2. The White House has also voiced its vehement opposition to the bill. 

And so, this week, we have seen continued rumblings from the Senate about a watered-down version of the bill from a small working group. While intentions of its members may be pure, the proposal that is currently being shopped around falls woefully short. It does not include several key components of H.R. 2, is poorly drafted, and provides an exit ramp for Democrats to accept do-nothing reporting requirements while omitting the serious policy changes necessary to secure the border.

Even worse, some of the same Republicans in this working group are venturing down the path of a so-called “Grand Bargain” compromise that offers amnesty now with the promise of border security at a later date. Republicans committed to securing our borders should not fall for this trap. The lessons of the past demonstrate that any proposed amnesty will not solve the problem of illegal immigration, but rather encourage future lawlessness at our border and embolden the narcoterrorist cartels who have turned human smuggling into a $20 billion industry. 

The most notable example of such a folly comes from the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), signed into law by then-President Ronald Reagan. Republicans traded an amnesty for most illegal aliens arriving prior to 1982 for the creation of penalties for hiring illegal aliens and an off-the-books promise of future border security measures, with the belief that such a law would discourage further illegal immigration into the United States. Nearly forty years later, the record is crystal clear: there were an estimated five million illegal aliens residing in the U.S. in 1986; as of Jan. 2022, the Federation for American Immigration Reform estimates that the total has climbed to a staggering 15.5 million, at a cost to taxpayers of over $150 billion annually. Employers have largely ignored the measures prohibiting the hiring of illegal aliens, and various industry lobbies have opposed the expansion of E-Verify to private employers both federally and at the state level. 

In the midst of the worst border crisis in the history of our nation, with over 170 countries represented and a record number of aliens on the terror watchlist apprehended crossing our borders (with many more likely avoiding detection), all Republicans on Capitol Hill must stand firm in their commitment to the real reforms in H.R. 2 and avoid the folly of acceding to Democrats’ demands for amnesty in exchange for the paltry promise of future border security measures. 

The American people are demanding action on the border, and the time is at hand for our leaders in Congress to show the courage to act. 

Chris Russo is president of Texans for Strong Borders, a leading grassroots advocacy organization in the Lone Star State. Learn more at StrongBorders.org.