San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro and a group of immigration experts on Tuesday blasted a new bill by Senate Republicans that would tie a draconian immigration crackdown to any further foreign aid for the war in Ukraine.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas; and James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, on Monday unveiled a proposal that would make it harder for people to legally seek asylum in the U.S. while bringing back Trump-era policies including detaining immigrant families and resuming construction of a border wall.
"Over my 10 years in Congress, I've voted again and again for border security packages, and today, we're spending more on border security than at any point in our nation's history," said Castro, a Democrat. "But punitive packages that lock up families and deport asylum seekers are not the answer. We need serious solutions that address the root causes of immigration."
Castro said he hopes the White House and Senate Democrats don't give in on extreme GOP demands on immigration in their haste to continue offering aid to Ukraine as it tries to beat back a Russian invasion.
Key portions of the GOP's Senate proposal pull from the Secure the Border Act of 2023, which passed the Republican-controlled House earlier this year. Democrats, who hold a majority in the Senate, have described that piece of legislation as a non-starter.
Kerri Talbot, executive director of Immigration Hub, a national nonprofit advocating for fair immigration policies said the Republican bill is unworkable and shows party leaders' lack of seriousness about negotiating real immigration reforms.
"The Republicans know this is bill is a non-starter," she said. "It's not a serious attempt at negotiating."
A return to Trump-era policies also would impair law enforcement officials' ability to effectively handle the inflow of immigrants, whether they're crossing the border without documents or through legal channels, said Jason Houser, a former chief of staff at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Houser noted that family detention had no measurable effect in deterring border crossings during the Trump administration.
"[This bill] focuses on broken, failed policies and operational measures taken by the previous administration," he said.
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San Antonio's Joaquin Castro warns about 'punitive' GOP immigration bill
GOP senators have tried to tie a draconian immigration crackdown to sending further foreign aid to Ukraine.
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