Biden asks Congress to fork over $4.7 billion to aid DHS in border crisis response – Washington Examiner

President Joe Biden’s new budget request asks Congress to make $4.7 billion available for federal agencies to respond to surges in immigration at the southern border as his administration attempts to get a handle on the border crisis.

The White House on Monday called on House and Senate lawmakers to fund its ask for billions of dollars as thousands of illegal immigrants continue to come across the U.S.-Mexico border daily.

“Given the uncertainty surrounding border conditions in any given year, the Budget proposes a $4.7 billion contingency fund to aid the Department and its components when responding to migration surges along the Southwest border,” the White House said in a statement. “Each fiscal year, the fund would receive appropriations incrementally and above the base appropriation as Southwest border encounters reach pre-identified levels. DHS could use these funds for surge-related functions only, and would transfer funds to [U.S. Customs and Border Protection], [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement], and [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] accounts when appropriate conditions are met.”

The ask comes in the wake of a funding shortfall for ICE in May that has the agency considering reducing its detention levels and releasing thousands of immigrants in order to cut costs.

“The President’s Budget continues to invest in the security of our borders, even as we continue to call on Congress to pass the February bipartisan border security legislation to provide urgently needed resources and tools to our frontline personnel,” Biden’s DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “It also includes funding to combat the trafficking of fentanyl and its precursors; protect the trade that is vital to our economic strength; build resilience to climate change and strengthen recovery from natural disasters; counter threats from the PRC and bolster our support for allies in the Indo-Pacific; and invest in the dedicated and professional workforce of the Department of Homeland Security.”

A bipartisan Senate border deal that would have provided billions in emergency money was rejected by House Republicans and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, forcing the Biden administration to find another way to get needed funds for federal immigration and border agencies that have been crippled by the crisis.

Nearly $2 billion of the funding would go to CBP and ICE, agencies within the Department of Homeland Security that apprehend, process, detain, deport, or release immigrants who enter the country illegally.

The White House maintained on Monday that the funding would help the federal government address the situation, but the ask may be a nonstarter for Republicans who have chided the Biden administration for only reacting to the issue rather than attempting to deter and prevent more illegal immigration.

Since Biden took office in early 2021, more than 8 million immigrants have been encountered attempting to enter the country without authorization — a higher figure than even two terms of any prior administration.

Last October, the White House sent Congress a proposal to send more than $100 billion to Ukraine and Israel, including $13.6 billion for the U.S. border. Republicans attempted to use the opportunity to beef up the border language through negotiations across the aisle.

The Senate deal, which was brokered by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and James Lankford (R-OK) after four months of negotiations, was rolled out in mid-February. However, Republicans refused the deal despite the Biden administration’s touting it as being tough on immigration. The National Border Patrol Council endorsed the bill, though many left-leaning immigrant rights groups opposed the deal on the basis that it restricted asylum rights.

That bill would have barred migrants outside the United States from seeking asylum at the border once more than 5,000 people have been arrested for illegal entry in a day, provided more immigrant visas for families and workers, sped up the process of obtaining work permits for noncitizens in the country, and hired more employees in the federally-run immigration courts.

“The President’s Budget builds on these measures by ensuring adequate base resources for border enforcement, while continuing to reiterate the need for Congress to pass legislation and provide meaningful reforms and supplemental funding to secure the border,” the White House said.

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The DHS would be able to hire an additional 1,300 Border Patrol agents, 1,000 Office of Field Operations officers at ports of entry, and 1,600 asylum officers and support staff.

The new $4.7 billion border ask is part of Biden’s $7.3 trillion budget proposal unveiled on Monday.

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