US close to compromise on border security with Mexico, which will unlock aid to Ukraine – CBS News
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress is close to reaching an agreement with the administration of US President Joe Biden, which will introduce sweeping new border control measures and help later approve aid allocations for Ukraine. This was reported by CBS News with reference to three interlocutors who are familiar with the progress of the negotiations.
The sources said that after weeks of closed-door negotiations, the White House and the three senators could unveil the deal this week. The bill is designed to reduce the unprecedented level of illegal border crossings recorded along the southern border over the past three years.
The publication noted that while Republican Senator James Lankford, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and independent Senator Kirsten Sinema are close to finalizing a compromise with the White House, any bipartisan immigration proposal will face an uphill battle in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson and other conservative lawmakers are pushing for even stricter changes to the asylum system.
Disagreements among Republican lawmakers over whether to support the Biden border deal have also intensified after the 45th US President Donald Trump opposed it.
On January 18, the US president agreed to strengthen immigration policy, as demanded by Republicans, to avoid criticism and to ensure aid to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in Texas, they began to install a fence on the border with Mexico. The governor of the state of Texas, Greg Abbott, said that he is ready to go against the federal authorities to protect the southern border of the United States from the influx of migrants.
On January 27, the speaker of the US House of Representatives Johnson said: if the terms of the new draft law being prepared by the Senate, on the introduction of border reform and the allocation of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, are true, it will be impenetrable and "dead" for the lower house.
Today, White House Speaker Karin Jean-Pierre said that Republicans in the House of Representatives are faced with a choice: whether they want to solve the problem with the border and aid to Ukraine, or score political points.
Johnson has previously said he often discusses border strengthening with the 45th US president, Trump, who is known for warning Republicans against making a deal on border policy and aid to Ukraine before they "get what it takes" to stem the flow of migrants into the US.
On January 19, Trump opposed compromises with the Democratic Party and the White House on border security with Mexico, saying that resolving this issue would ensure continued aid to Ukraine. According to him, only House Speaker Johnson would make a "perfect" border deal.
Biden said that the inaction of Congress jeopardizes the security of the United States and NATO, and called for a quick resolution of the border and approval of aid to Ukraine.