Senate Republicans Push for Stricter Immigration Laws as Part of Emergency Funding Package Requested by President Biden

Senate Republicans are pushing for stricter immigration laws as part of an emergency funding package requested by President Joe Biden. The one-page plan, written by GOP Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, calls for a wide variety of changes, including raising the “credible fear” standard for asylum-seekers, curtailing officials’ ability to grant humanitarian parole and toughening penalties for illegal border crossings.

The proposal was released Monday as part of the Senate GOP’s border policy demands in the negotiations over the Biden administration’s $106 billion national security supplemental request, which also includes billions to bolster security at the border.

The senators warned President Biden that there will be no further Ukraine aid without stricter rules for being granted asylum in the U.S. The proposal also seeks to limit the number of people who can be granted asylum in the U.S. and to increase the number of people who are deported.

The proposal also calls for the creation of a new “border security trust fund” to pay for additional personnel and technology at the border. The fund would be funded by a fee imposed on those seeking to enter the U.S. legally.

The proposal has been met with criticism from some immigration advocates, who argue that the proposed changes would make it more difficult for people to seek asylum in the U.S. and would lead to more deportations.

The Biden administration has not yet responded to the proposal, but it is expected to be a major point of contention in the negotiations over the emergency funding package. It remains to be seen whether the proposal will be included in the final package, or if the two sides will reach a compromise.