Republicans Are Holding Billions In Border Funding Hostage
In addition to war funding, Republicans are withholding billions of dollars for the border in President Biden’s supplemental funding package
As the White House and Democrat Senators negotiate migrant rights away in exchange for war funding, it’s worth noting that Republicans are also withholding billions in funding for border security - all part of President Joe Biden’s supplemental Critical National Security Funding package. Republican Senators argue what they’re asking for are “border security” policies, but what they’re proposing does nothing to secure the border.
The supplemental national security package proposed by the White House in October includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $14.3 billion for Israel, $10 billion in humanitarian aid for the border, Gaza, Israel, and Ukraine, and more. The package also adds includes $3.6 billion for the border as well as increases in funding of $3.5 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), $2.5 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), $1.7 billion for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and $1 billion for Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
The national security supplemental funding package provides a total of $13.6 billion in funding for the border and immigration services. Despite all of this, Republican Senators have opted to block the package altogether under the guise of simply withholding Ukraine funding. The reality is that they’re leveraging war funding to propose xenophobic policies that eliminate or severely restrict asylum rights targeting migrants of color at the US-Mexico border.
It remains unclear why Democrats aren’t pointing out that Republican efforts to enact racist policies mean withholding crucial funding under the guise of national security. Instead, Senate Democrats are negotiating with Republicans who want to enact Trump-era policies and pave the way for the policies former President Donald Trump said he wants to enact should he win the next election and occupy the White House once again.
Historically, policies like those being negotiated have never worked to stem the flow of migrants coming primarily from countries the United States has crippled. What laws like this do is force migrants to attempt to enter the US under much more dangerous and grueling conditions that have already led to countless deaths along the US-Mexico border. Policies like these embolden smugglers to target desperate migrants escaping brutal conditions in their home countries.
The notion that giving ICE and CBP billions in additional funding isn’t enough for Republicans who base their policies on xenophobia is absurd. What’s even worse is that Democrats are openly entertaining these ideas rather than going on the offensive and pointing out that their conservative counterparts are preventing progress with political theater.
Senate Republicans aren’t interested in national or border security. What they want is to make life harder for immigrants in the US while making life more difficult for Latinos who are sure to be targeted just as they are in Texas and Florida. By using temporary war funding as a hostage to take migrants' rights, Republicans are signaling that they will target other groups of people with the same dishonest tactic the next time the US needs more money for war.
And why wouldn’t they when Democrats appease them?
Read the Full Supplemental Package Here
I am a freelance writer, journalist, and publisher of The Antagonist Magazine and a regular contributor at Capitol Press, Latino Rebels, and Unicorn Riot. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads.
Don't worry, they won't take responsibility for intentionally breaking the government. But they'll happily blame it on the other party. This two-party system is destroying itself.