Inna Varenytsia/Portal
Ukrainian ride in a T-64 tank near the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on December 13, 2023.
CNN –
Democrats and Republicans are urgently trying to reach an agreement on border policy changes before senators leave town for the holidays, but several members of Congress are skeptical that a deal can be reached as significant differences remain.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly called on Congress to approve his national security amendment, which includes billions in funding for Ukraine, Israel and border security, among other things. He warned that the funds were critical to Ukraine, which the U.S. has pledged to support in its war against Russia, and to U.S. national security more broadly.
Still, the package introduced in October remains stalled.
For weeks, negotiators on both sides have been struggling to tie stricter immigration restrictions to additional funding for Ukraine and Israel. Republicans insist a change is needed at the U.S. southern border, where the influx of migrants has strained federal resources, to boost funding for Ukraine.
Republicans, Sen. Lindsey Graham said during an appearance on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday, “feel like we're being blocked.” We're nowhere near a deal. It will continue next year.”
If Congress leaves town over the holidays without reaching a deal, the White House will have to make tough decisions about supplying allies like Ukraine, potentially at the expense of U.S. military readiness. The amendment also includes $14 billion for border security.
Over the weekend, senior White House officials, including White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, called Republican and Democratic lawmakers to try to build consensus on border policy changes, two sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.
But potential changes to tighten asylum laws and other tougher immigration measures are a hard sell for Democrats, who fear the White House is adopting Trump-era immigration policies.
On Saturday, Zients had a phone call with some members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that raised concerns about the direction of border talks, the source said. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also took part in the conversation.
Another source said key sticking points remain as negotiators try to reach an agreement. These include measures designed to trigger the expulsion of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border – effectively preventing migrants from seeking asylum at the border; curbing the use of parole requirements that allow migrants to temporarily live in the U.S. on a case-by-case basis; and mandatory detention, the source said.
Other proposals include raising the credibility standard for asylum seekers and expanding the use of an expedited deportation procedure.
The source said Republicans have also shown renewed interest in a safe third country agreement that would prevent migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they transit other countries before arriving at the U.S. border.
For Biden, current politics are complicated. While the loss of support from the Democratic base could cost him in next November's elections, the perception that he is doing nothing on border security could also have far-reaching and lasting effects.
Migrant apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border have reached record highs during Biden's presidency. While Biden officials have stressed that the arrests reflect record migration in the Western Hemisphere, the issue is sure to weigh in on the 2024 presidential election as Republicans point the finger at the president's immigration policies.
Republicans and Democrats have been at an impasse on immigration for decades. But the contours of a border agreement today are far narrower than in previous negotiations, when more funding for border security was often tied to the legalization of immigrants who were already living in the U.S. illegally.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said Sunday he was “very encouraged” by the status of the talks.
“I have communicated with the negotiators, my colleagues and friends on the Democratic and Republican sides, as well as with the White House, and I feel very encouraged. I'm very optimistic that they're doing very positively,” Manchin told CNN's Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
“I know there has been resistance in the House, but I can assure you that the House will get nowhere unless it begins to work together in a bipartisan manner on these very, very troubling and challenging pieces of legislation,” Manchin said.
This article and headline have been updated with additional information.
CNN's Manu Raju contributed to this report.