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"I hope Republicans and Democrats can work together to pass the
bipartisan Border Act this coming week," Schumer said in a
letter to senators.
The Border Act would reform U.S. asylum laws, hire thousands of
border agents and seek to curtail fentanyl smuggling, among
other measures, the Democratic leader said.
The previous legislation was tied to U.S. foreign aid for
Ukraine and Israel, but this bill would stand alone, Schumer
said.
Record numbers of migrants have been caught crossing the
U.S.-Mexico border since Democratic President Joe Biden took
office in 2021, and border security has become one of the
leading issues in the presidential campaign. Trump is seeking to
return to office by challenging Biden in the Nov. 5 election.
In February, a bipartisan immigration bill stalled in the Senate
after Trump told Republicans not to support it even though it
contained several border-security measures they had sought.
"The former President made clear he would rather preserve the
issue for his campaign than solve the issue in a bipartisan
fashion. On cue, many of our Republican colleagues abruptly
reversed course on their prior support, announcing their
new-found opposition to the bipartisan proposal," Schumer said.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Donna Bryson and Sandra
Maler)
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