Senators negotiate a deal to close the border if migrant crossings increase

(CNN) — Senate negotiators agreed to empower the United States to significantly restrict illegal crossings at the southern border, according to sources familiar with the matter, a move aimed at ending a surge of migrants that has overwhelmed federal authorities in recent months.

The Senate deal, to be introduced next week, would speed up the asylum process to consider cases in six months, compared with the current system under which applicants can wait up to 10 years.

The details open a new window in months of high-level talks, as Senate leaders hope they can hammer out a deal to help Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as domestic and international crises loom as threats. The plan will also put pressure on Republicans to decide whether to greenlight these new powers or reject the plan, as former President Donald Trump has urged the GOP to reject the bill as anything other than what he calls “perfect.”

President Joe Biden, in a rare statement about ongoing negotiations in Congress, said the deal Senate negotiators are working on is both tough and fair.

“What has been negotiated will be — if passed into law — the toughest and fairest set of border-security reforms our country has ever seen,” he said in a statement Friday. “It would give me, as president, new emergency authority to close the border when it’s full. And if I’m given that authority, I’ll use it the day I sign the bill.”

Under the package of measures, which will be released soon, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will have new emergency powers to close the border if average daily migrant crossings reach 4,000 in a week. If crossings exceed 5,000 per day in a given week, DHS will be required to close the border to all irregular migrants. Some people will be allowed to stay if they can be proven to be fleeing torture or persecution in their countries.

Additionally, if migrant crossings exceed 8,500 in a single day, DHS will be forced to close the border to people who cross it irregularly. Under the proposal, any immigrant who tries to cross the border twice while it is closed would be barred from entering the US for a year.

Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, independent Senator Kirsten Sinema of Arizona and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut – all three of the talks aim to avoid a wave that overwhelms federal authorities. The Biden administration and Senate leaders are closely involved in the negotiations, and more details of the agreement are expected to be released in the coming days.

There were over 300,000 encounters with migrants in December alone. According to the source, if the new law goes into effect, the border will be immediately closed to migrants in irregular status (immigrants who are legally visiting or traveling legally in and out of the US will continue to have access to ports of entry).

But pressure for a deal comes as Trump has rallied Republicans to reject any compromise on immigration while campaigning against President Joe Biden’s border management. However, several top Senate Republicans, including Mitch McConnell, say the issue needs to be addressed now as Democrats prepare to pass tougher sanctions.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with additional information.