DOA: Speaker Mike Johnson REJECTS Senate's Border Security Deal

In a letter addressed to all House Republicans on Friday, Johnson voiced his opposition to the deal, as reported by The Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Senate is presently deliberating on proposals aimed at enhancing border security and overhauling the immigrant parole process for asylum seekers. These measures, demanded by Republicans, are being considered in exchange for authorizing aid to Ukraine for its ongoing conflict with Russia. Johnson's letter, which was obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation, indicated his refusal to support the deal if the reported details were included.

Johnson's letter began, “I wanted to provide a brief update regarding the supplemental and the border since the Senate appears unable to reach any agreement. If the rumors about the contents of the draft proposals are true, it would have been dead on arrival in the House anyway.”

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The negotiations are currently spearheaded by Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. While a draft proposal has not been published yet, several media reports have speculated on the deal's contents, leading to conservative opposition.

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The New York Times reported one alleged aspect of the deal concerning the reform of “humanitarian parole.” This status, granted by the Department of Homeland Security, temporarily allows certain foreign nationals fleeing persecution to stay in the United States without a visa. The Biden administration has granted parole status to millions of foreign nationals from countries like Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

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Republicans aim to significantly reduce parole issuance to foreign nationals seeking asylum, who either present themselves at a port of entry or cross the border illegally. The Senate's draft proposal reportedly includes an increase in detention capacity for U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to prevent the issuance of parole to illegal entrants, often due to a lack of space, as reported by the Times.

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The deal also allegedly includes a threshold of migrant encounters per day that, if reached, would suspend parole and processing of foreign migrants. The threshold is reportedly 5,000 individuals per day, a number significantly lower than the current daily migrant encounters by Border Patrol, according to the Times.

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Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina stated, “[T]here needs to be a hard cap on parole.” Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas expressed his disapproval of the deal during a press conference on Thursday, terming it a “stinking pile of crap,” as reported by The Hill. He said, “[T]hey want this outcome and this outcome is terrible for the American people.”

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, however, supports the deal, as reported by Politico. Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said, “He’s fully behind the border bill, fully behind the support for Ukraine and is not going to let political considerations of any campaign stand in the way of his support,” referring to McConnell’s stance on the matter.

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In 2023, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, known as the “Secure the Border Act,” which has served as the body’s border security proposal in negotiations. The bill proposes the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, prohibits asylum status for persons who enter the country illegally, and expands the authority of law enforcement to remove foreign nationals ordered deported.

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However, other Republicans have criticized the alleged parole reform for not being stringent enough. Former President Donald Trump, the leading candidate for the party’s presidential nomination, stated, “What is currently being worked on in the Senate will be meaningless in terms of Border Security and Closure.”

On the other hand, Democrats wish to maintain parole authority and limit the removal of aliens who have long been settled in the country yet are ordered deported from the United States. Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California told NBC, “Expanded nationwide expedited removal is an incredibly dangerous tool.”

In his letter, Johnson reiterated, “I am emphasizing again today that House Republicans will vigorously oppose any policy proposal from the White House or the Senate that would further incentivize illegal aliens to break our laws.”