Corker: If our amendment is adopted ‘we have secured the border’

In the underlying bill an E-Verify system and entry-exit system at air and sea ports must be in place before anyone is given a green card. The amendment from Hoeven and Corker would also require construction of 700 miles of Southern border fencing, the purchase of more than $3 billion in new technology for border security, and the hiring of 20,000 more border patrol agents mandatory before green cards are issued.

{mosads}“It builds on what’s already in the underlying bill and provides objective verifiable standards to do so,” Hoeven said. “We must secure the border first. That’s what Americans demand and that’s what we must do to get comprehensive immigration reform right.”

The Department of Homeland Security will likely have 10 years to implement all of the mandates under the bill and amendment since that is roughly the length of time people will be on provisional legal status before applying for a green card.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has suggested that once immigrants are granted even provisional legal status that it is unlikely the government won’t then follow through with the process of granting citizenship. 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said the amendment still doesn’t seem to have a true “trigger” in place and makes only “promises” since the DHS wouldn’t be held accountable if they didn’t meet the mandates in the bill.

But Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) argued that the DHS plan doesn’t need congressional approval, since it will have to include the fencing, additional border patrol agents, new technologies, an E-Verify system and entry-exit system — which were all Senate suggestions. 

Cornyn questioned why it’s now all of the sudden affordable to hire more border patrol agents since his amendment, which was rejected earlier Thursday, called for an additional 5,000 agents.

“I never objected to more border patrol agents,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Gang of Eight. “I didn’t know how we’d pay for it in the bill. I thought our bill would be deficit neutral — boy was I surprised.”

On Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced that the immigration reform bill reduces the deficit by $197 billion over the next 10 years and an additional $700 billion 10 years after that. 

Hoeven said the 20,000 additional border patrol agents are paid for with $30 billion of the CBO’s projected gains.

“Border patrol agents are now affordable and it’s needed,” Graham said. “You’ll have a border patrol agent ever 1,000 feet of the border 24 hours a day. And it’s money well spent.”

Sessions argued that the CBO estimates are inaccurate and that most of that money will go into Social Security and Medicare funds. 

The Senate is expected to continue work on the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. Hoeven and Corker’s amendment is still being written and will likely be introduced Thursday evening. Their amendment is viewed as vital to drawing more GOP support for final passage, which is expected next week.

The bipartisan group of eight senators, known as the Gang of Eight, introduced S. 744, which would create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country, toughen border security, create a guest worker program and boost high-skilled immigration.