U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Sunday that the Senate will make another attempt this week to pass a bipartisan border security bill. The previous attempt failed when several Republicans, influenced by former President Donald Trump, withdrew their support. "I hope Republicans and Democrats can collaborate to pass the bipartisan Border Act this coming week," Schumer wrote in a letter to his colleagues.
Schumer highlighted that the Border Act is designed to overhaul U.S. asylum laws, recruit thousands of additional border agents, and combat fentanyl smuggling, among other measures.
This new bill will be standalone, unlike the prior version that was tied to U.S. foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel, Schumer noted.
Since President Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021, record numbers of migrants have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, making border security a critical issue in the upcoming presidential campaign. Trump, aiming to reclaim the presidency in the November 5 election, has made this issue a central part of his campaign.
Earlier this year, a bipartisan immigration bill stalled in the Senate after Trump urged Republicans to oppose it, despite its inclusion of several measures they had previously supported. Schumer commented, "The former President made it clear he preferred to keep the issue for his campaign rather than solve it through bipartisan efforts. As a result, many Republican colleagues reversed their positions and declared their opposition to the bipartisan proposal."