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House Freedom Caucus tries to buy time for Trump, because the border 'deal' is worse than you thought
February 14, 2019
The conservative House Freedom Caucus is urging Congress to slam the emergency brake on the bipartisan border security "deal" that no one has read.
The bill text was released Thursday, just one day before Congress needs to vote on it to keep the government from shutting down on Friday. It's over 1,000 pages long, and in the short time it's been publicly available, analysts have found has several provisions that undermine U.S. border security. In response, Freedom Caucus member Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., introduced a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government open while giving members of Congress an extra week to read through the deal.
Several House conservatives have backed Biggs, urging Congress to let lawmakers read the bill before voting.
President Trump and Congress need the extra time to negotiate a better deal. One of the provisions that should signal a five-alarm fire for conservatives is language that gives de facto amnesty to illegal immigrants by forbidding ICE to detain any "sponsor" or "potential sponsor" or "member of a household" of an unaccompanied child migrant, as reported by the Center for Immigration Studies' Jessica Vaughan.
OANN political correspondent Ryan James Girdusky tweeted more highlights of the bill:
Border wall bill is out, here are some highlights:
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
here are the areas Trump cannot build any wall pic.twitter.com/q2porHboEI
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
The bill gives $1.375 billion for constructing a "wall"/pedestrian fencing pic.twitter.com/K1VOvTpZCT
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
$725 million for technology pic.twitter.com/3dZ1OJsnNe
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
They can only be used to make steel bollard design... no concrete wall, no prototypes. Same thing as what Bush and Obama built... just a little bit taller pic.twitter.com/2jn2arTOWk
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
The bill secures more than $3.1 billion in foreign health services, more than twice for the wall pic.twitter.com/2eIbweTl9V
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
Sec. of DHS cannot increase border crossing fees pic.twitter.com/5fDW6No9dI
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
Border "Wall" construction is only allowed in the Rio Grande Valley Sector pic.twitter.com/xXE4BJFZdE
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
Other highlights:
$415 million for humanitarian aide
$77 million for opioid equipment
1,200 new Customs and Border Patrol Agents
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
The bill DOES expand Catch and Release by reducing the number of border beds from 49,060 to 40,520
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
No funding for additional enforcement and removal field personnel. - that means no more ICE agents to deport people already in the country.
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
Expands the Alternatives to Detention program from 82,000 to 100,000... so instead of housing family units at the border- they get moved into the interior where they almost always stay in the country permanently.
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
Provides $40 million for additional ICE staffing dedicated to overall ATD case management, particularly for asylum seekers... so no new ICE agents, but money to ICE to help illegal aliens settle in a non-detention center in the country
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
The bill gives over $1 billion for the Smithsonian...
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
$3.4 billion in refugee assistance - $74 million more than last year
$4.4 billion in international disaster assistance - $100 million more than last year
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
$3.4 billion in refugee assistance - $74 million more than last year
$4.4 billion in international disaster assistance - $100 million more than last year
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
Does not eliminate any foundations that Trump wanted to get rid of including: The Asia Foundation, the U.S. African Development Foundation, the Inter-American Foundation, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
Israel, Ukraine, and Jordan receive $5.3 billion
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) February 14, 2019
So in summary, there's amnesty, catch-and-release is expanded, there's more money for foreign aid than there is for a wall, and the fence funding that is included is severely limited. CR senior editor Daniel Horowitz blasted this deal:
I don't think i can put into words the degree of perfidy in this bill.
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) February 14, 2019
One of the major factors spawning this invasion is the bastardization of the UAC statute which provides refugee status for those minors who are victims of "A severe form of trafficking" AND have no relatives in this country.
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) February 14, 2019
What is happening now is that our stupid gov't treats the very people who self-traffic and have their relatives pay to smuggle them in to reunite with them as refugees. A 180 degree violation of both provisions.
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) February 14, 2019
Any bill that truly addresses the border invasion would clamp down on this. Instead, the bill actually rewards the very family members who broke in and our empowering the cartels to not only erroneously treat the kids like refugees but shield them from deportation!
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) February 14, 2019
The bottom line is that President Trump cannot sign this deal and expect to secure the border. Some will argue that conservatives can't expect better with Democrats in control of the House, but that's not true. President Trump should announce his intention to veto the deal and side with the Freedom Caucus in pushing for a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government open. Then, if Congress can't come to a better deal, the president can use 10 U.S.C. § Section 284 to instruct the secretary of defense to begin "construction of roads and fences and installation of lighting to block drug smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States.”
Trump has options besides this dumpster fire Swamp deal to build the wall and secure the border, and he doesn't need to declare a national emergency to get the job done. Conservatives must demand that Trump veto the border deal.
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