Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the first vote on the bill could come as early as Wednesday. If successful, it would mark the most significant changes to U.S. immigration and border security in decades.
Illegal immigration is a big problem for the US. Photo: AP
Senator Kyrsten Sinema told reporters that the bill would secure the southern border of the United States, including requiring the US Department of Homeland Security to "close" the border to migrants if there is an average of more than 5,000 crossings per day over seven days.
In addition to $20.23 billion for border security, the bill includes $60.06 billion in aid to Ukraine, $14.1 billion in security assistance to Israel, $2.44 billion for US Central Command and the Red Sea conflict.
The package also includes $4.83 billion to support U.S. partners in the Indo- Pacific . An additional $10 billion will provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine.
“The priorities in this bill are too important to ignore and too important to allow politics to get in the way,” Schumer said in a statement. “The United States and our allies face many complex challenges.”
The bill’s key overseas security provisions largely match what President Joe Biden requested from Congress last October, when he asked for more aid for Ukraine, Israel and several other US partners.
That request has stalled because House Republicans have demanded that it be tied to changes in immigration policy. “I urge Congress to come together and pass this bipartisan agreement quickly,” Biden said, praising the immigration measures in the bill.
Immigration is the second-biggest concern for Americans, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last Wednesday. The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended about 2 million migrants at the border in fiscal year 2023.
Hoang Hai (according to Reuters, AP)
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