Republican leaders have repeatedly said that they would not cooperate with Democrats on immigration reform because of a so-called “border crisis.” But now that the Biden-Harris administration has made dramatic progress on addressing the disastrous border situation they inherited, Republicans are still unwilling to make a deal on issues, like a pathway to citizenship, that enjoy overwhelming public support.
California House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy
- Rep. McCarthy Criticized Democrats For Passing Immigration Reform, Saying That Border Security Needed To Be Addressed First Due To The So-Called Border Crisis. “This week, House Leader Kevin McCarthy led a delegation of a dozen other House Republicans to El Paso, where they visited U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, migrant families, and a section of former President Donald Trump’s border wall. ‘Why would you do those bills without first doing border security? Why would you do that while you’re ignoring what’s happening on the border?’ McCarthy said on Tuesday after he returned to Washington. ‘You’re only going to make it worse because you’re sending the wrong message.’” [TIME, 3/18/21]
Kentucky Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
- Sen. McConnell Said Instead Of Trying To “Repair The [Border] Crisis” Democrats Were Working On An “Amnesty Plan.” “‘Are they leaping into action to repair the crisis?’ McConnell said on the Senate floor. ‘No — they’re taking up an amnesty plan that would create a special new pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants working in certain industries.’” [Bloomberg Law, 3/18/21]
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn
- Sen. Cornyn Said “Before We Can Do Anything Meaningful On Immigration, We’re Going To Have To Deal With The Current Crisis At The Border. “And Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has said, ‘Before we can do anything meaningful on immigration, we’re going to have to deal with the current crisis at the border.’” [New York Times, 5/3/21]
Louisiana House Republican Whip Steve Scalise
- Scalise Criticized Democrats For Passing What He Called An “Amnesty” Bill “On The Heels Of This Border Crisis.” “And then on the heels of this border crisis that is going on right now, there’s a bill on the House Floor to create amnesty to create a bigger magnet saying come to the southern border.” [Congressman Steve Scalise statement, 3/18/21]
Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs
- Congressman Biggs Said Democrats Were Ignoring “The Biden Inhumane Border Crisis” And Were Instead Trying To Pass Bills That “Perpetuate Illegal Activity.” “Today, Congressman Biggs voted against H.R. 6 The American Dream and Promise Act and H.R. 1603 Farm Workforce Modernization Act because Congress should not reward those who have broken our immigration laws with amnesty. ‘Democrats are ignoring the Biden inhumane border crisis. Instead of addressing this crisis, Democrats are trying to pass bills that perpetuate illegal activity by incentivizing these behaviors with the promise of amnesty and other benefits,’ said Congressman Andy Biggs.” [Congressman Andy Biggs statement, 3/18/21]
Illinois Republican Rep. Rodney Davis
- Rep. Davis Said He Would Not Support Immigration Reform Until “The Current Border Crisis [Was] Under Control.” “Rep. Davis reflected on what he saw and learned: […] ‘We also need to take immediate immigration action at the federal level, and that must start with President Biden reversing some of his immigration policy actions. In the past, I’ve supported several iterations of immigration reform, but the reality is we cannot reform and modernize our immigration system without first getting the current border crisis under control, fully securing every mile of our borders, and discouraging unlawful entry into our country.’ [Congressman Rodney Davis statement, 4/13/21]
Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves
- Rep. Graves Said There Was A Border Crisis And Criticized Democrats, Saying They Needed To Start Working On “Real Solutions” Rather Than Pass “More Amnesty Bills.” “President Biden and his administration can call this whatever they want, but the facts don’t lie. There is a crisis at the southern border. Instead of pushing through more amnesty bills and encouraging more illegal immigration, the President and his allies in Congress need to start working on real solutions to end this crisis.” [Sam Graves newsletter, 3/28/21]
Missouri Republican Rep. Ann Wagner
- Rep. Wagner Said The US Was “Facing An Unprecedented [Border] Crisis” And “Instead Of Implementing Commonsense Legislation” Democrats Were Passing Legislation To Incentivize Border Crossings. “Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement on the Democrats’ dangerous immigration agenda: ‘We are facing an unprecedented crisis at the border. […] ‘Illegally crossing the border is a treacherous endeavor, and instead of implementing commonsense legislation that would safely stem the tide of illegal immigration, Democrats have decided to force through a partisan immigration bill that would incentivize even more illegal immigration and provide green cards to violent criminals and gang members.’” [Congresswoman Ann Wagner Press Release, 3/18/21]
Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole
- Republican Rep. Tom Cole Said He Would Oppose Immigration Legislation He Supported In 2019 Due To The Border Crisis. “Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), meanwhile, said Wednesday he would ‘probably’ oppose the farm workers bill despite voting for it in 2019, citing both the border crisis and the fact that his state’s Farm Bureau came out against the legislation more adamantly this time around.” [Politico. 3/18/21]
Oklahoma Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin
- Rep. Mullin Said That Providing “Mass Amnesty” Was The Last Thing The Government Should Be Doing During What He Called a Border “Crisis.” Today, Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) released the following statement after voting against both H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, and H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. ‘In the midst of a crisis at our Southern Border, Speaker Pelosi insisted on passing two amnesty bills that will do nothing but incentivize more people to cross the border illegally and make the Biden border crisis worse,’ Mullin said. ‘Encouraging illegal immigration by providing mass amnesty is the last thing the federal government should be doing during this crisis.’” [Congressman Markwayne Mulline statement, 3/18/21]
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Sen. Graham Said He Would Vote Against His Own Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill Introduced Just 43 Days Prior Because The Border Was Out Of Control. “Lindsey Graham introduced a bipartisan immigration bill 43 days ago. But if it came up on the Senate floor today, he wouldn’t support it. ‘God, no,’ the South Carolina Republican senator scoffed in an interview. ‘I’m not in support of legalizing one person until you’re in control of the border.’” [Politico, 3/19/21]
Texas Republican Rep. Michael Burgess
- Rep. Micahel Burgess Said “Congress Must Address The [Border] Crisis First.” Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), released the following statement after voting against H.R. 6 – the DREAM and Promise Act. […] ‘We have a crisis at the southern border whether the Administration wants to admit it or not. Congress must address that crisis first.’ [Congressman Michael Burgess statement, 3/18/21]
Texas Republican Rep. August Pfluger
- Rep. Pfluger Said Bringing Up An “Amnesty” Bill “In The Middle Of A Total [Border] Crisis” Was Wrong. “‘Bringing an amnesty bill to the floor this week in the middle of a total crisis on our southern border not only is tone deaf, but is wrong,’ said Texas Representative August Pfluger, one of the Republicans who went to the border Monday. ‘This bill will only incentivize more illegal crossings. What a week to put this bill to a vote.’” [Bloomberg Law, 3/18/21]
