The union representing U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on Monday gave lukewarm support for the bipartisan immigration reform bill crafted by White House and Senate negotiators, calling it “not perfect” but “very much better” than not approving anything.
The endorsement comes after House Republican leaders and former President Donald Trump criticized the recently introduced 370-page bill, which ties $60 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, $14 billion in military aid for Israel and $10 billion in humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territories with $20 billion. for US border security.
The Border Act of 2024 would eliminate the Biden administration’s so-called “catch and release” policy for asylum seekers.
Additionally, the bill would add 50,000 beds to federal immigration detention spaces, allocate $650 million for border wall construction and allow President Biden to close the border when crossings exceed an average of 5,000 per day for a week.
The union has criticized President Biden’s handling of the border crisis. AP
“Since Joe Biden took office, CBP has averaged more than 6,700 apprehensions per day and the vast majority of these illegal immigrants have been released under a policy known as catch and release,” Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol. Council, he said in a statement. “Approximately 60% of all border apprehensions are single adults, a good number of whom are military-age men.”
Judd noted that the bill will give Border Patrol agents the ability to “expeditiously remove single adults without the lengthy judicial review that has historically required the release of these individuals into the United States.”
The Border Patrol union maintains that the bill is “much better than the status quo.” James Keivom
The backlog in the nation’s immigration courts under the 81-year-old Biden administration reached a record high last year, rising to more than 3 million pending cases, according to data compiled by Syracuse University’s Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse. .
“This alone will eliminate illegal border crossings across the country and allow our agents to once again detect and apprehend those who want to cross our borders illegally and evade arrest,” Judd said.
“While not perfect, the 2024 Border Act is a step in the right direction and is much better than the current status quo,” the union chief’s statement continued. “That is why the National Border Patrol Council supports this bill and looks forward to its swift passage.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell supports the legislation. AP
The endorsement comes despite frequent criticism from the National Border Patrol Council of the president’s handling of the border crisis, as well as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Judd previously told The Post that his members want Mayorkas to be charged.
Earlier Monday, the union tweeted a photo of Biden walking up the stairs while boarding Air Force One with the caption: “America’s border, illustrated.”
“Biden dismantled the border on purpose. It is irrefutable,” the group tweeted Sunday after the long-awaited text of the legislation was released.
The National Border Patrol Council represents about 18,000 Border Patrol agents and support personnel, maintaining a 90% membership rate among eligible agents.
Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who handled negotiations with the White House on the Senate legislation, touted the union’s support.
Trump derided the bill as “a huge gift to Democrats” and House Republican leaders have said it is “DEAD on arrival” on the floor, urging senators to “reject” it.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn