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The Senate of U.S rejected for the second time this Thursday a bill that sought to restrict the migration and access to asylum on the border with Mexico.
In an attempt to blame the opposition for not wanting to reach a consensus to resolve the immigration issue, the Democratic leadership of the Upper Chamber forced a vote on the project, despite not having enough support to get the green light.
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With 43 votes in favor and 50 against, that regulation that included measures to restrict access to asylum on the southern border foundered on the Senate.
A few minutes after the vote, which was the first step in the procedure to discuss the bill, the White House published a statement accusing Republicans of putting their political priorities above “national security”.
“Congressional Republicans don’t care about securing the border or fixing this country’s immigration system,” said President Joe Biden, who is seeking re-election in November’s presidential election.
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“If they had done so, they would have voted in favor of applying the strictest border law in history,” he added.
The text of the bill was negotiated by a group of Republican and Democratic senators late last year, as part of an agreement to obtain conservative support to approve disbursements to the governments of Ukraine and Israel.
In a first vote in February, Republicans sank the project, after former president and conservative party candidate Donald Trump asked the senators which they opposed.
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After the approval of the budget allocation for both countries, in mid-April, the “border security” project stalled.
Republicans, for their part, also accuse Democrats of prioritizing their political interests when bringing this legislative project back to the plenary.
“What we are going to vote on today is not a project (…) it is a political message. It doesn’t help us as a country,” said Senator James Lankford, who was part of the group that negotiated the deal with Democrats in December.
O immigration has become a central issue ahead of the November elections, becoming the main issue that Americans will take into account when choosing a president, according to the latest polls.
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Republican Donald Trump redoubled the message anti-immigrantwhich catapulted him to the presidency in 2017, to gather more support this November.
Trump has promised to create massive detention centers for migrants and carry out a massive deportation campaign to expel more than 11 million undocumented people from the country.
Biden, for his part, has hardened his stance on migration, abandoning the promises that achieved victory in 2020: offering a path to citizenship for people who live without migratory status or restoring access to asylum in the border.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
