Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford claimed there was “misinformation” surrounding the potential new border deal Sunday on CBS.
Lankford appeared on “Face The Nation” to discuss a potential new border deal between bipartisan lawmakers in the Senate as the ongoing border crisis continues. Some GOP senators as well as former President Donald Trump, however, have raised concerns regarding potential legal loopholes the bill may have, leaving many questioning if the deal will be able to pass.
CBS host Margaret Brennan questioned the Oklahoma senator if he believed the bill could pass without Trump’s “approval,” to which Lankford stated he looks forward to Trump being able to read the bill along with everyone else. Lankford noted the “misinformation” circulating, highlighting that some rumors about work permits were “not true.” (RELATED: Biden Shifts Border Crisis Blame In New Statement)
“Well, I’m looking forward to President Trump getting the opportunity to be able to read it like everybody else is. There’s a lot of misinformation out there right now that — I hear this comment that it waves in 5,000 people, it hands out work permits – all those things are not true. There’s just a lot of internet rumors that are running around on this right now,” Lankford stated.
Lankford continued to note that had Trump been president this last term the border crisis would not be where it is today, emphasizing that the policies in the potential new deal are ones he was previously asking Congress to change under his administration. (RELATED: ‘Same Old Trick’: Ingraham Presses North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer On GOP Response To Border Crisis)
“We’re looking forward to getting the information out and I can say there is no question no matter what your political persuasion is, we would not have had the immigration crisis we’re experiencing right now if President Trump would have been present the last three years. There’s no way we would have had 8 million people illegally cross our border, because he would enforce those different authorities and would have made sure that we actually secure a border,” Lankford stated.
“But, even while he was president, he was specifically asking Congress to change the standard on asylum to be able to tighten up, to be able to give them additional funds for deportation. All of those things are in this bill. So if he were to be president, this would be new authorities that he had actually asked for when he was president before.”
Tensions on the border crisis escalated last week as the Biden Administration and Texas officials continued a tug-of-war claim on the state’s border, leaving many to apply pressure to the Senate in getting a deal through. However, as news of what the potential bill could hold circulated, some GOP senators raised their concerns about the legal ramifications for U.S. immigration policies.
Trump weighed in, stating that there should be no deal for GOP lawmakers unless there was comprehensive border security which would include “everything” to “shut down the invasion.” As lawmakers have yet to see the text of the bill, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have recorded the highest monthly totals in December for migrant encounters seen at the southern border, hitting 302,034 at both ports of entry.