As Republicans near the 100-day mark since taking control of the House, the party has nothing to show for its hallmark promise of ending the border crisis, thanks to an early attempt in January that never coalesced, as well as infighting stalling any progress.
Five GOP aides directly involved in border security legislation efforts spoke with the Washington Examiner this week about the state of affairs, including the party’s next big attempt to move on legislation.
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In mid-April, the House Homeland Security Committee will introduce a comprehensive bill that targets a slew of border issues, going far beyond a series of seven bills put forth by members in January that have failed to move out of committee.
“There are no quick fixes, and the Committee is looking to offer long-term, workable solutions,” a committee spokesperson said in a statement.
The bill was born out of a framework developed by the American Security Task Force, which leadership created in mid-2021. In July last year, the group of primarily border lawmakers announced they had agreed on a framework for a bill that could win full party support.
“We’re going to be very aggressive, and I think the administration will have some choices to make,” Rep. John Katko (R-NY), who led the task force, said then.
The July proposal has been remade into the new bill coming from homeland legislators in a matter of weeks. The bill will follow the proposal, which touted the need for a physical barrier, infrastructure, and technology on the 2,000-mile southern border. Although the Trump administration funded 800 miles of border wall projects, it completed just over 450 miles.
Republicans want to bolster staffing levels at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the 60,000-person federal agency tasked with inspecting vehicles and apprehending people attempting to enter the United States illegally. The plan also calls for the clearing of tall grass known as carrizo cane that grows along hundreds of miles of the Rio Grande in Texas and makes it difficult for Border Patrol agents to see and walk through.
The American Security Task Force also called for the enhanced use of Trump-era initiatives, including returning asylum-seekers to Mexico for the duration of their court proceedings. Families who crossed the border illegally would not be released into the U.S. after being apprehended but detained together. Unaccompanied migrant children from countries other than Mexico and Canada would no longer be admitted into the country as suspected victims of human trafficking.
GOP progress on fixing the border was hamstrung by the dramatic battle for the speaker’s gavel in January. The various rounds of horse trading resulted in eventual Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) promising to fast-track some dissenters’ border bills.
A series of seven bills was picked up in January and thought to be the avenue the GOP would use to push through its agenda. One such bill authored by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) required the Department of Homeland Security to “suspend the entry of any non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) without valid entry documents during any period when DHS cannot detain such an individual or return the individual to a foreign country contiguous to the United States.”
Although most Texas Republicans supported Roy and other bills, more centrist Republicans, including border lawmaker Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), said it was “un-Christian” and vowed to block it from passing.
Over the past two months of bickering, the House Homeland Security Committee has quietly been building its proposal to overhaul border policies.
“This legislation will reflect a deep understanding of the ins and outs of the dire problems at the border and the policy changes required to address this crisis effectively,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) wrote in an op-ed Thursday. “There are no quick fixes, and we intend to propose legislation that offers long-term, workable solutions.”
A leadership aide wrote in a statement that members met with McCarthy and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s (R-LA) offices in multiple meetings last week geared to achieving a “common ground on border security legislation.”
Gonzales did not promise to support the American Security Task Force-aligned bill despite having been a member of that body.
“I represent a district that is 42 percent of the southern border, 823 miles. American citizens and illegal migrants are dying every week in my district. Daily high speed chases cause our schools to go into lockdown,” Gonzales wrote. “I am working closely with chairman Green to ensure the border bill that comes out of the homeland security committee is one that addresses the border crisis caused by Biden’s failed policies.”
Green said the committee’s work to resolve the “single most immediate threat” to homeland security was “just getting started.”
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A spokesman for House Judiciary Committee Republicans did not respond to a request for comment.
