Booker Statement on Ongoing Negotiations Over Supplemental Funding Bill and Immigration Laws

Statement

"Last week, my Republican colleagues voted to block a supplemental package that would have funded 1,300 additional border patrol agents, more than 100 inspection machines to detect fentanyl coming in through ports of entry, 1,600 additional asylum officers to interview and adjudicate claims for asylum, 375 new immigration judge teams to adjudicate and process immigration cases, and $1.4 billion to support local governments in providing food, shelter, and other services to migrants. Each of these provisions would have helped secure the border, provided refuge for migrants fleeing violence and persecution, and would have delivered relief to the border communities and cities across the country that have been most impacted by the increase in migration.

My colleagues in Congress and in the administration share the same goals: to create orderly, safe, and humane border and immigration policies that respect our laws and our sovereignty. There are real safety and security issues at the border, and I believe there are solutions that can and must get bipartisan support. We must have a larger conversation about updating our immigration laws, and the way forward must stay true to our nation's fundamental values.

Right now, as negotiations on a supplemental funding bill continue, it is critical to recognize that proposals to eliminate or severely reduce access to asylum and parole will not accomplish these goals. Instead, as recent history shows, drastic bans at the border have not served to reduce the number of people seeking refuge from violence in their countries. I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will adopt commonsense solutions like those proposed in the supplemental and changes to our outdated immigration laws that provide meaningful access to legal pathways to immigration."

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