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Amid tensions over the U.S-Mexico border, Donald Trump warned on Monday the border bill is a "death wish" for Republicans.
Congress has sought to pass a bill to tackle what Republicans have dubbed a "border crisis" amid an uptick in asylum seekers entering the United States. There were more than 2.4 million encounters at the border during the 2023 fiscal year, up from roughly 1.7 million in 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
However, the GOP-led House does not appear to agree with the bipartisan bill proposed by a coalition of Democratic and Republican senators, as conservative hardliners argue the bill would not go far enough to end illegal immigration into the U.S.
In addition, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has previously said the Senate deal would be "dead on arrival in the House."
In a Monday post on Truth Social, Trump took aim at the bipartisan bill as details of the $118-billion deal were unveiled Sunday night.
"Only a fool, or a Radical Left Democrat, would vote for this horrendous Border Bill, which only gives Shutdown Authority after 5000 Encounters a day, when we already have the right to CLOSE THE BORDER NOW, which must be done. This Bill is a great gift to the Democrats, and a Death Wish for The Republican Party," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Newsweek has reached out to a Trump spokesperson and the White House via email for comment.
The bipartisan bill would address key concerns faced at the southern border, increasing the ICE detention capacity from 34,000 to 50,000 and allocate $20 billion to immigration enforcement.
However, the bill also includes $14 billion in aid to Israel, $60 billion for Ukraine, $4.83 billion to Indo-Pacific nations and $10 billion in humanitarian funding for Ukraine, Gaza and the West Bank, a move Trump slammed on Monday as he said foreign aid should be separate from the border.
"It takes the HORRIBLE JOB the Democrats have done on Immigration and the Border, absolves them, and puts it all squarely on the shoulders of Republicans. Don't be STUPID!!! We need a separate Border and Immigration Bill. It should not be tied to foreign aid in any way, shape, or form! The Democrats broke Immigration and the Border. They should fix it," Trump added.
Trump's comments come after he previously urged Republicans not to accept anything less than a "perfect" border deal before the general election in November, sparking questions about whether some Republicans are working to prevent Biden from scoring a victory by signing the border bill into law.
Concerns over Trump weighing in on the border bill also comes after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has recently taken heat for new comments that suggest that Trump wants to make immigration a central theme for his 2024 campaign—despite Republican legislators working to improve the situation at the border or to provide more foreign aid for Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia.
Meanwhile, Biden said in a statement that the Senate proposal "allows the United States to continue our vital work, together with partners all around the world, to stand up for Ukraine's freedom and support its ability to defend itself against Russia's aggression."
He added that the immigration system had been broken for too long, and the bill would fix it. "It will make our country safer, make our border more secure, treat people fairly and humanely while preserving legal immigration, consistent with our values as a nation," he said.
Update 2/5/24, 10:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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About the writer
Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more