Inside the border talks that could decide the fate of Ukrainian aid
President Biden and Democrats on Capitol Hill are seriously considering Republican demands for a deeply restrictive immigration policy in return for billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, a move that activists say would destroy America’s obligations to welcome desperate migrants fleeing war and oppression .
Mr. Biden has said he is willing to make “significant compromises” on border security to appease Republicans, who will not support more aid to Ukraine without a new immigration crackdown.
Republicans last week blocked a $111 billion emergency spending bill that includes about $50 billion in security aid to Ukraine and made a counteroffer that amounted to a Trump-era border wish list.
Mr. Biden has accused Republicans of holding military aid to Ukraine hostage in exchange for “an extreme Republican partisan agenda at the border.”
Here’s a look at the state of negotiations:
What Republicans want
Republicans have said they want to make it harder to get asylum in the United States — a demand the White House has signaled it is willing to consider.
But Republicans say that’s not enough.
They also want to reinstate policies that would quickly turn people away at the border or force them to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases are heard. Former President Donald J. Trump used these methods to effectively close the border to migrants during his administration.
Republicans are seeking to expand a policy known as “expedited removal” to quickly deport undocumented immigrants. They also want to limit the use of an immigration policy known as humanitarian parole, which has allowed thousands of Afghans, Ukrainians and others fleeing war and violence to come to the United States.
Republicans say the overhaul is necessary to cope with border crossings that have recently topped 10,000 per day.
What the White House might consider
The White House has indicated it is open to several Republican proposals, according to Biden administration officials, lawmakers in both parties and people familiar with the matter.
Democrats have agreed in principle to raising the standard that migrants must meet when they claim they need asylum in the United States because they fear persecution in their home countries, according to people involved in the talks.
The White House has also said it would consider a policy similar to the Trump-era emergency rule known as Title 42, which allowed border agents to quickly expel migrants at the border, according to Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina involved in the talks.
The White House has included some Republican Party demands in the emergency funding request that Republicans blocked, such as a significant expansion of detention capacity. The bill spent more than $4 billion on the Department of Homeland Security to expand storage facilities at the border.
And the White House has considered the idea of reinstating the practice of detaining migrant families who cross the border together — another line item in the Republican Party’s latest proposal.
But other Republican proposals could be difficult for the White House to accept, such as forcing migrants to remain in Mexico while their cases are heard and limiting humanitarian paroles. The White House has emphasized that it has not signed any of the proposals.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, declined to comment Wednesday on the specific immigration proposals being discussed in the negotiations.
“We must find a compromise between both sides,” Ms Jean-Pierre said.
Politics
The White House is under pressure from all sides.
The southern border poses a major burden on Mr. Biden, who has failed to stem the tide of crossings. The negotiations have only exposed a crisis that has led to a bipartisan response against Mr. Biden.
The negotiations also cut to the heart of Mr. Biden’s foreign policy. The president has pledged to support Ukraine’s fight against Russian invaders for as long as necessary and has characterized the aid as a matter of American credibility.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was in Washington this week, lobbying lawmakers and warning that his country will lose the war without American support.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, has called on Speaker Mike Johnson to keep the House in session next week to give members more time to negotiate.
“If Republicans are serious about getting something done at the border, why are so many in a hurry to leave?” Mr Schumer said this on Wednesday.
But the pessimism grew.
“It is, I think, nowhere near any kind of agreement,” said Sen. John Thune, Republican of South Dakota.
Progressive Democrats and immigration advocates, meanwhile, are furious that the White House is even considering Republicans’ proposed restrictions.
“How will they credibly campaign against Trump’s immigration agenda if they are the ones leading the fight to pass it into law?” said Andrea Flores, former director of border management at the National Security Council. “They are going against the grain of the party to support the most exclusionary immigration policy in more than 100 years.”
Hamed Aleaziz contributed to reporting.