‘Changing Politics’ Threaten Senate Immigration Deal

A bipartisan border security package in the upper chamber teeters on the brink.

By and
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  • The U.S. and U.K. on Thursday announced new sanctions against four Houthi leaders, all accused of assisting or sponsoring acts of terror, as part of the countries’ ongoing efforts to end the Iranian-backed group’s attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. “The Houthis’ persistent terrorist attacks on merchant vessels and their civilian crews lawfully transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden threaten to disrupt international supply chains and the freedom of navigation, which is critical to global security, stability, and prosperity,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson in a statement released yesterday. Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said in a televised address Thursday that the Yemeni group remained undeterred, and would continue its campaign of targeting commercial ships traversing the waterway.
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  • Former President Donald Trump took the stand to testify in his own defense in a civil case on Thursday, denying all charges in the ongoing defamation case brought against him by author E. Jean Carroll in New York. Trump answered five questions as part of his short testimony, and most of his replies were cut off after a definitive answer was given. 
  • Peter Navarro, a former Trump White House official, was sentenced on Thursday to four months in prison for criminal contempt of Congress after being convicted in September on counts related to his refusal to cooperate with the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. “You are not a victim. You are not the object of a political prosecution,” said U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, pushing back on claims by Navarro that the case against him was politically motivated. “These are circumstances of your own making.” Navarro’s legal team has indicated that they will appeal the conviction and sentence.

What’s Blocking Immigration Reform?

GOP Sen James Lankford departs from the Senate Chambers of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 25, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Senators continue to negotiate a deal to pass a bipartisan Ukraine funding bill paired with immigration and border security reform package. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
GOP Sen James Lankford departs from the Senate Chambers of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 25, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Senators continue to negotiate a deal to pass a bipartisan Ukraine funding bill paired with immigration and border security reform package. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

When a bill in Congress starts collecting multi-variable metaphors that include the term “train wreck,” it’s probably a sign that negotiations aren’t going well.

“This supplemental bill is a kamikaze plane in a box canyon with no exit headed for a train wreck,” Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said this week of the Senate’s ongoing negotiations over perhaps the most vexing issue in American politics: immigration reform. 

Months of negotiations between Senate Republicans and Democrats over a border security package tied to Ukraine aid may be on the verge of breaking down. Though lawmakers seemed to be nearing a resolution in recent days, opposition from former President Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee who’s running on a more aggressive border security position than the current deal seems likely to produce, has led some Republicans to get cold feet. Democrats and Trump-critical Republicans have also suggested that, beyond opposing the actual provisions in the bill, the former president would prefer to use continued chaos at the border as an election-year cudgel against President Joe Biden, removing his congressional allies’ incentive to improve the deteriorating situation before November. But opposition to the bill is more than just a question of palace intrigue: The finished deal may not be restrictive enough to please the hardliners in the House and Senate.

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  1. BDM

    LUK: Typically, the positions of a presidential candidate, particularly one who is the frontrunner and presumed nominee, generally reflect the values and ideology of the party, so his/her influence would not be outside the box. I certainly see no problem with a candidate speaking their opinion about and even lobbying for changes in bills before Congress. That said, Donald Trump is not a normal candidate and his influence on the Republican Party continues to be a net negative, to say the least. That also said, Donald Trump isn't wrong about everything.

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  2. Peter Mark Potanas

    It’s a bad deal. Period.
    “ Support Texas because it’s the right thing to do. Oppose the Senate scheme because passing it would be the wrong thing to do.”

    https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/01/the-border-deal-is-a-bad-deal-regardless-of-trumps-opposition/?bypass_key=Y1NrMkdmVkJFNzRqV0M0dHZrTzg2UT09OjpSakZWU21sS1JrcHRNRXBzU21ac1MwRjRkRlZGZHowOQ%3D%3D

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    1. Brett F

      McCarthy gives away the game here:

      "... the Senate deal would be a disaster that camouflages Biden’s dereliction of duty..."

      He's worried about the politics more than the border. If the bill passes and the border is still a mess in November, nothing will camouflage that.

      McCarthy's not afraid that the bill won't work. He's afraid that it will.

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      1. Peter Mark Potanas

        So you’re okay with ignoring the law as written and allowing at least 1.8 million more illegals intro the country. I’m not.

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        1. Hikingguy

          Terrific straw man. Be careful around fire.

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        2. Brett F

          I didn't suggest ignoring any laws. I suggested McCarthy is more interested in damaging Biden than improving the situation at the border.

          Btw, the comment section at NR is a seething hellhole of ignorance. I kind of understand why the editors there have to be hacks.

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        3. Avatar photo
          Kmregan7

          You’re not okay with Congress doing its job and trying to fix the issue? Which is more important to you- solving the problem or having (more) immigrants (than you’d like?) - which we need- have an easier time coming in?

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      2. Goatprairie

        There is no need for a bill. There is a need for the POTUS to do his job.
        Trump should have been impeached and removed from office during the Summer of 2020 when he failed to protect millions of citizens from roving leftist mobs who were destroying many American cities when the leftist governors and mayors of many cities and states abdicated their sworn responsibility to protect their citizens.
        Biden deserves to be impeached for failing to stop a foreign invasion. He's being held hostage by the far left of the party who want to get as many illegals into the country as possible, make them citizens, get them on gov. aid, and make them permanent Dem voters.
        Both Trump and Biden are rotten.

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        1. PROMETHEUS

          Hello.

          You are in the wrong building.
          Go out, turn right, then turn right again
          NR is on your right.

          The MAGA crazies are further right still.

          Your choice.

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          1. Goatprairie

            Basically a non sequitur. Try to come up with a cogent argument. If possible.

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            John Grove

            Funny comment! I am a moderate Dem voyeur over at the NR, and the comment thread has become border-line insane. The mission seems to be to keep people outraged all the time.

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        2. Brett F

          The Republicans insisted on a border bill as the price for aid to Ukraine and Israel. Now it's not necessary?

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          1. Goatprairie

            The Republican Party in its current state is rotten. There are too many bad actors in the party at the moment. Including the people attempting to strongarm Biden on Ukraine.

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  3. Drussell2337

    "Democrats and Trump-critical Republicans have also suggested that, beyond opposing the actual provisions in the bill, the former president would prefer to use continued chaos at the border as an election-year cudgel against President Joe Biden,"
    Isn't this what both parties, even when one or the other has control of both houses and the presidency, routinely do? The coverage on this current circus makes it seem like this is something uniquely bad that Trump and the GOP have cooked up. The fact is that Dems play this game too.
    I'm not a Trump supporter, FYI. I'm just saying let's call both parties out on this behavior. They'd both rather have the issue to fund raise with, and they'd both rather deny their opponents any credit for resolution.

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    1. Jackrabbit McQuivers

      You might be right that both sides do it. But I'm blanking on thinking of an example of Dems doing it. Can you think of one in recent history?

      I suspect the lack of Dems doing it is largely due to Republicans refusing to compromise as a general principle of their party, so Dems usually don't have many opportunities for bipartisan legislation that they can intentionally sabotage.

      Perhaps it's my flawed memory, but as I sit here and scour my memory, it does not seem to be a both sides issue.

      Again I'm open that maybe I'm misremembering though

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      1. Drussell2337

        Most recently, the Dems had control of both houses and the presidency after the 2020 election - they effectively instituted an open border policy that has led to a humanitarian crisis and a legit national security threat. This was their means of "addressing" the issue, and directly led to the urgent need to press policy and legal reforms in this area.
        I'm not a cheerleader for the GOP, nor do I blame the Dems solely for this ongoing issue - both parties would rather have the issue to run on than enact reform. There is no doubt, however , that the policies and practices of this administration have led to the situation worsening to the point where it has become a true humanitarian and security issue.
        My objection regards the way this headline frames the issue - after 3 years of following a disastrous path, the Dems are forced to address the issue because of the impact it will have in upcoming elections. So, they pull together a proposal, and the author says that the Repubs have to accept it or be blamed for not being serious about immigration reform. That's absurd reasoning. We should be pressing both parties to accept their part in this disaster and enact meaningful change - to do otherwise give one side or the other the window to continue acting they way they have.

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        1. Jackrabbit McQuivers

          The substance of your comment -- about the shared blame across parties -- is really solid and strong, and I appreciate the comment. Your point on the share of blame that belongs to Dems for immigration is fair. But I was trying to make a different point: Republicans have made Immigration a Top 3 issue on the campaign trail since 2015, but they are choosing not to act out of cravenness. It demonstrates that Immigration is not the existential threat they claim it is; they prefer to put politics above progress. The Dems don't have a track record of campaigning on an issue, treating it like an existential threat, and then refusing to act on that very issue.

          But my point is frankly a minor one; who really cares that the Republicans are proving to be craven, when an immigration hawk has every right to be angry at both, to your point. You make the more substantive point.

          That said, I have no problem with a political party prioritizing an issue when it becomes a political liability. That's how market forces work, and that's how politics should work. I assume that political incentives drive ALL policy in Washington. What would be worse is a party's constituents demanding something, and the party digging in their heels and refusing to be responsive. Let's applaud when political parties change their focus on policy out of responsiveness to their constituents. It's why we have a form of democracy (ok, liberal constitutional republic) rather than lifetime appointed kings

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          1. Drussell2337

            Thank you for the thoughtful, reasonable discourse - it's refreshing to trade views with someone who focuses on the issue, and doesn't devolve into angry personal attacks when a different view is presented.
            I certainly won't make apologies for the Repubs on this issue - they have not handled it well. I'd also say the Dems have their fair share of craven behavior. They enacted what has effectively been an open border policy, which precipitated the worst border related humanitarian and national security crisis in history, and now are pivoting 180 degrees only because of political vulnerability, and not because of humanitarian or national security concerns. That is craven behavior. The Dems approach has created a crisis situation that real people (US citizens (mostly in border states) and would-be immigrants have to live through. Additionally, their policies have effectively ceded control of the border to Mexican criminal cartels - these cartels are vastly enriching themselves through the profits of human trafficking and fentanyl smuggling. We'd be doing US citizens and potential immigrants, alike, a huge favor by holding the Dems to account for effects of their policies, and by observing that humanitarian and national security concerns are not driving their change in stance.
            I live in a border state so I'm probably more sensitive to this issue than others. IMHO, transporting illegals immigrants to major cities has been effective in bringing visibility and a sense of national responsibility to what , in the past, has been framed as a border state issue.
            We should be relentless on both Repubs and Dems in demanding they accept responsibility, jointly, for failed policy and law, and insisting they cannot blame each other for not fixing it.
            Next up - the national debt and chronic budget deficits. :)

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          Kmregan7

          How big a majority did Dems have. I think too many people think- have a majority equals “can get anything they want done” and that’s just not the case with the filibuster the way it is now. If Dems had a HUGE majority, a filibuster proof majority, then yes- they squandered an opportunity to pass something.

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          1. Drussell2337

            Per my post, they got done what they wanted to get done, which was to effectively institute an open border approach, precipitating the worst border related humanitarian and national security crisis in US history.

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  4. Indisguise

    The only surprise is that we are surprised.

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  5. Kungfucraig

    Why haven't you all mentioned anything about what's going on with Abbot and Texas? All week... Really?

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  6. Hikingguy

    O/T Mediaite has this funny story about Gov Kristi Noem asserting Texas signed "the original constitution" by which she apparently means the Articles Of Confederation. She's surely dumb enough to be Trump's Veep. Words fail.

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  7. Kbg

    My father used to say...immigration is the way it is because D's want the voters and R's want the cheap labor. The rest is smoke.

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      Kmregan7

      Illegals immigrants can’t vote. So they don’t get the votes that way. I think instead it’s that Dems aren’t as bothered by immigration period- they are more likely to want easier, faster, increased legal immigration and while they’re concerned about illegal immigration in some ways, they don’t think it’s that horrible of a crime as opposed to other crimes.

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    2. Avatar photo
      Cheerio

      Undocumented immigrants cannot vote. I believe that nothing is done because the RB's want cheap labor to exploit. And all politicians bend for the RB's.

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      1. Goatprairie

        They'll eventually become citizens and vote for the party that panders to them. That would be the Democratic Party. That's what happened in California during the Reagan admin when Reagan got suckered into an immigration deal that allowed three million illegals (mostly from south of the border) to become citizens.
        The warped plan worked perfectly for the Dems as now a state, California, that used to be reliably Republican is now solidly Democrat.
        Make them citizens, get them on welfare, and they'll vote for the Dems forever.

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        1. PROMETHEUS

          Tell me why immigrants (both legal and formerly illegal) gravitate towards Democrats.

          Maybe it is because of the venom, and hatred and racism pouring out of every Republican news outlet and opinion rag.

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          1. Goatprairie

            Occam's Razor: the party that promises the most benefits including citizenship most likely has a huge edge over the party that demands everybody obey the law.

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        2. Jackrabbit McQuivers

          Given that Hispanics have been swinging toward Republicans for the last couple cycles, it would be foolish for Dems to be encouraging immigration on the hopes that it gives them electoral benefit long-term. While they still prefer Dems, that pendulum is swinging toward Republicans. Also -- 99% of all decisions that come out of a party are near-term, and never long-term. There's approximately zero percent chance that Dems are sitting around saying "let's harm near-term electoral prospects so that, at some point in the future, we hope that maybe we can have more voters vote for us, provided that the momentum that GOP has for winning over GOP simultaneously stops dead in its tracks." I don't have much respect for the political strategists in the Dem party, but they're not that dumb. And they're definitely not that long-term focused.

          Great Replacement Theory has so many holes in it that it should be Swiss cheese

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          1. Goatprairie

            I don't think Democrats are in favor of the racially-tinged GRT. I think they just want to build an overwhelming majority of voters. Which they've managed to do in California. There is absolutely no doubt that the great increase in Hispanic voters in California in the last 30-40 years has changed the state into a reliable Dem stronghold. No Republican now has a chance to get elected to any major state office or senator.
            Numerous people on the left, including Biden, have made public comments to the effect that they'll be ecstatic to see the white population of America decreased.
            Now tell me, who is using race as a club to pander to certain voters?

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  8. Tim Wood

    None!

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  9. Porter38

    Just subscribed. So far, I like what I'm reading. Just dropped one of my regular news subscriptions as they are sort of losing their minds. I'm enjoying the tenor and temperature here.

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    1. PROMETHEUS

      Don't get your hopes up.

      Most of the mob here are Republicans.

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      1. Avatar photo
        Slp

        I think the dispatch advertises themselves as a center right conservative newsletter. Nothing surprising about there being a lot of republicans.

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        1. PROMETHEUS

          In case you haven't noticed, Republicans nowadays are NOT center, and they are definitely NOT conservative.

          So, your comment is quite out of date.

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      2. Porter38

        Yes, I figured. But I was also hopeful it would be a Remnant. 🤔 I’ll settle for “not crazy as a isht-house rat” at this point.

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  10. Trichwages

    LUK: none. We have one Congress and one President at a time.

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