The Biden administration is considering getting behind new restrictions on who can seek asylum and an expanded deportation process to secure new aid for Ukraine and Israel in a supplemental funding bill, a source familiar with discussions said.
Quick Read
- Ukraine and Israel Aid Tied to Border Security: The Biden administration is considering backing new asylum restrictions and an expanded deportation process as part of a deal to secure aid for Ukraine and Israel. This comes as Republicans demand measures to reduce illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for approving additional funding.
- Potential Asylum and Deportation Changes: The White House is open to tightening the criteria for initial asylum screenings and might agree to a “safe third country” rule, which would deny asylum to migrants who travel through another country to reach the U.S. They are also considering expanding the use of “expedited removal” for deportation processes beyond the border.
- Discussion of Asylum Claim Limits: A bipartisan group of senators is discussing imposing a numerical limit on asylum claims, but the Biden administration’s stance on such a cap is not clear.
- White House and Congressional Negotiations: With only a week left before the Christmas break, there’s pressure to reach an agreement. The goal might be to agree on the main points now and work out legislative details during the break.
- Challenges in Reaching a Consensus: There’s still a significant gap between Democrats and Republicans on these issues. The White House criticizes Republicans for jeopardizing national security by linking border security to foreign aid, while some Republicans insist on substantial reductions in illegal immigration to support the deal.
- Tight Legislative Timeline: The House and Senate, each controlled by different parties, are working on a tight deadline to pass legislation before the year-end recess, making the negotiation process particularly urgent.
Reuters has the story:
White House open to new asylum limits in return for Ukraine aid
Newslooks- WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters)
The Biden administration is considering getting behind new restrictions on who can seek asylum and an expanded deportation process to secure new aid for Ukraine and Israel in a supplemental funding bill, a source familiar with discussions said.
The White House and U.S. Congress are racing to strike a deal that would deliver military aid to the two allied nations while discouraging illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border with only a week until lawmakers depart for a Christmas break.
Republicans have refused to approve more Ukraine funding without additional measures to reduce the record number of migrants attempting to cross the U.S. border illegally, leading to a complex negotiation pairing the largely unrelated issues.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking reelection in 2024, said on Wednesday that he would be willing to make significant concessions on border security as Senate Republicans rejected a Democratic aid package with $20 billion in border funding.
The White House would be open to heightening the standard for initial asylum screenings, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss the talks.
The Biden administration also would entertain some form of a “safe third country” provision that would deny asylum to migrants who pass through another country en route to the U.S., the source said.
Another possible point of agreement could be expanding a fast-track deportation process known as “expedited removal.” The authority would be employed nationwide instead of its current application at the border, the source said.
A bipartisan group of senators trying to reach a deal are also discussing a numerical limitation on asylum claims, the source said. The Biden administration position on such a cap remains unclear.
White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez said Biden has made it clear “the border is broken” and that Congress should take action to fix it.
“The president has said he is open to compromise,” he said in a statement.
The Republican-led House of Representatives is scheduled to wrap up work for the year by Dec. 14, leaving a tight window to pass legislation. The Democratic-led Senate faces a similar timeline.
With that in mind, the goal seems more to strike a top-line deal and perhaps work on the exact details of the legislative text over the break, sources said.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons said Thursday the gap between his party and Republicans remains “stubbornly large” but that he remains optimistic they can find common ground.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre criticized Republicans during a press briefing on Thursday.
“They are playing chicken with our national security,” she said. “History will remember them harshly.”
Republican Senator Thom Tillis, part of the bipartisan group trying to hash out a border security compromise, told reporters on Wednesday that any proposal would have to cut illegal immigration at least by half and that he did not know if a deal could be reached before Christmas.
“We’ve got a lot more work to do,” he said.
