Trump cut off congressional talks on border security, but Democrats never had the vote

On Tuesday, shortly before the results of the New Hampshire state primary election, Donald Trump wrote on the social network Truth that “the Speaker (of the House), Mike Johnson, is very strong on the border.” And that “he will not allow our country to be destroyed by Joe Biden’s open borders lunatic!!!”

The message was aimed directly at derailing the border security negotiations taking place in the Senate between the two parties and Joe Biden’s White House, a delicate issue that has been debated since October as an emergency funding approval appendix. Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel.

After his victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, former President Trump took another step in his attempt to control the debate. “We said it right,” he told former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in his victory speech. “Immigration is a big problem. Millions of people are coming to our country illegally. They come from prisons and mental institutions,” he added, but without providing data to support his claims.

The previous week, Trump had already announced his plan on social networks without hiding his rejection of the tripartite negotiations led by Senators Charles Schumer (D-New York) and Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). “I don’t think we should make a border deal until we get everything we need to stop the invasion of millions and millions of people, many of them from unknown places, into our once great, but soon to be great. Again, country”.

Until Wednesday morning, Trump’s position seemed to be just that, one position among many others that have been branded since talks began three months ago, but by afternoon it was McConnell, according to sources cited by the network. CBS and hill, who questioned the negotiations.

According to the revelations, McConnell spoke behind closed doors to a group of Republican senators and warned them that, given the results in New Hampshire and Iowa last week, “we don’t want to do anything that weakens him” in his return. Race for the House White.

A second source, the media reported, indicated that McConnell told senators that Trump’s immigration stance, called ‘zero tolerance’ during his administration, could make it “difficult” for Republicans participating in negotiations to support an immigration deal.

As of last week, the Biden White House expressed “hope” to reach an agreement in the Senate to advance an immigration deal in the Senate and then in the House of Representatives.

When asked about progress in the talks that President Biden mentioned earlier, White House spokeswoman Caryn Jean-Pierre said, “We really appreciate that senators, both Republicans and Democrats, are continuing this conversation and working on border security. negotiates.”

“Obviously, this is something important, very important, to this president,” the official added. And he noted that on Wednesday of the previous week, when the president met with leaders of both parties in the Oval Office, “the president was very clear that Congress must act. “We need to focus on this and also on lending to Ukraine, as Ukraine continues to defend itself from Putin’s aggression… That’s something we need to continue to do.”

Jean-Pierre also said on that occasion that “all the pieces that the president has asked for in his supplementary national security requirements and must be approved.” And he indicated that “the conversation is going in the right direction. We are optimistic about it. It is important to act now. The immigration system we’ve seen at the border, broken for decades, needs to be fixed.

Five days later, after the results in New Hampshire, the scenario for both Republicans and Democrats took an unexpected turn that, at first glance, seemed to favor Trump’s strategy.

Signs that the talks have failed, not yet officially confirmed, have worried the Immigration Hub, an organization that fights to protect the rights of immigrants in the United States and pushes for the passage of comprehensive immigration reform.

“After months of negotiations, recent reports indicate that Republican lawmakers are withdrawing their support for a supplemental funding agreement to address border security and fund foreign aid,” the group said in a statement.

“Here we go again,” said Beatriz Lopez, deputy director of the Immigration Hub. “Republicans in Congress prove once again that they are not honest brokers, especially when they bow to Donald Trump. “Even when presented with Trump-era proposals and President Biden’s willingness to compromise, Republican senators refuse to accept any bipartisan proposals. is.”

Lopez added that “it’s abundantly clear that the party of Trump has never been interested in solving problems in good faith or with effective policies. They want to continue using immigration as an electoral issue against Biden and the Democrats.” He promises family separation and mass deportations in a Trumpian future. They want to create chaos on the border and in Democrat-led cities to score political points.”

Immigration Hub added that “President Biden and the Democrats must move forward by responding to the American people with bold and practical solutions, not the current policies under negotiation that will destroy our asylum system and create unmanageable chaos at the border. “They have an important opportunity to work with border communities and governors, local leaders and NGOs in the country to resettle asylum seekers and address the communities’ economic needs.”

The Biden White House had hoped to secure an immigration deal in the Senate and get $14,000 million approved for the border, depending not only on Republican votes, but on the total support of 48 Democratic votes and three independents. Give Schumer and the Democrats control of the upper house.

And to get a deal, Schumer must convince McConnell to give at least 9 Republican votes, which have never been confirmed or identified during negotiations since October.

The talks also failed to secure the vote of Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who in 2013 was a member of the so-called Group of Eight that approved sweeping immigration reform that later stalled in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. In one message, Rubio wrote: “President Biden refuses to enforce the law and secure our border. Passing the Congress Border Bill will not change that.

But the most worrying message was published by Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who said via Social Network X: “We need at least 25 votes for this or, in my opinion, it will be a waste of time.”

Why doesn’t Schumer have 51 Democratic and independent votes plus 25 and 9 for Republicans to reach the minimum 60 needed to pass the legislation?

There is only one answer: Schumer never secured the 51 votes of his caucus.

The talks are led by Schumer and have the support of Biden, who is willing to accept certain aspects of the immigration law, such as more restrictions on asylum or changes to humanitarian programs approved by him who are experiencing the crisis. border with Mexico. However, it is a concession that at least 11 Democratic senators publicly reject.

In a letter to Biden in late November, a group led by Bob Menendez (New Jersey) and Dick Durbin (Illinois) warned the president that negotiations regarding potential changes would “set a dangerous precedent in our asylum system and risk the approval of aid for our allies.” ” (Ukraine and Israel).

And they noted that any proposal that “considers permanent changes to our asylum and immigration system must include a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants who have lived and contributed to our country for years,” an issue that remains outside of any potential negotiations. is Moments in Congress.

When asked if the position was maintained, Menendez’s office told Univision Noticias that “the agreement must be read in its entirety before issuing an opinion. But the group still has many concerns about the issue.”

“Comments will not be issued until we have the full document, the final text that does not include Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan,” he added.

Asked about McConnell’s alleged statements to senators from his party about bipartisan talks and the eventual collapse of negotiations in the Senate, Menendez’s office said “we don’t know if (the effort) is dead and where it’s going to go.” Finish everyone. What this shows is that Republicans want more than a solution to this issue.

Analyst Wadi Gayten commented that “both parties are to blame” and that one of the biggest steps Congress could take is “immigration reform”, but that both parties would have to agree to achieve it.

A Democratic source who asked to remain anonymous told Univision Notices that “since negotiations began in October, the math has never worked out for me,” referring to the 60 votes Schumer needs to seal the deal.