OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is ripping the Biden administration for discussing amnesty for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) with Mexico while ditching border security negotiations with Congress.
“Johnson made the comments in response to a joint statement released Thursday from the United States and Mexico on a meeting Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador held with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday,” the Washington Examiner reported.
The statement, released by AMLO’s government, said that the “delegations also discussed the benefits of regularizing the situation of Hispanic migrants who have been undocumented for several years and the DACA beneficiaries, who are a vital part of the US economy and society.”
“At a time when America is experiencing the worst border crisis in our nation’s history, it is unconscionable to hear the Biden Administration’s announcement that Secretaries Mayorkas and Blinken discussed with the President of Mexico amnesty for illegal immigrants,” Johnson said in a post on X.
“The United States must focus on policies that deter — not attract — people attempting to come here illegally, and the smugglers who profit from the catastrophe at our border,” he added. “This development further demonstrates the Administration has no real intention of solving the humanitarian disaster and immediate national security crisis their policies have created.”
The Louisiana Republican and House leader then called on Biden should “take immediate steps to stop the flow of illegal immigration into our country.”
At a time when America is experiencing the worst border crisis in our nation’s history, it is unconscionable to hear the Biden Administration’s announcement that Secretaries Mayorkas and Blinken discussed with the President of Mexico amnesty for illegal immigrants. The United… https://t.co/V6jExFVDoV
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 28, 2023
The Examiner noted further:
A bipartisan working group of senators has spent weeks negotiating a border security deal, which would be added to a defense spending bill that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Negotiators on both sides have acknowledged that the border measure is critical to passing the legislation through both chambers.
Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have been leading the negotiations, which have centered largely on changes to federal asylum policy and how the Biden administration uses the humanitarian parole authority. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) has also been heavily involved in the talks.
Earlier this month, Johnson again informed the White House that without “transformative change to our nation’s border security laws,” House Republicans will not approve aid to Ukraine.
During an interview on Fox News with host Bret Baier, Johnson said that for the House to consider Biden’s request for additional aid to Ukraine, several conditions must be satisfied. The Biden administration’s plan to “prevail” in Ukraine, details on the current spending of military aid, and a “transformative change” to the nation’s border security are all part of the list of demands.
Here’s a partial transcript:
BAIER: “Are there significant steps that are happening, negotiations still going on with Secretary Mayorkas and others in the administration about changes?”
Johnson: “Well, I hope so. Look, I’ve been crystal clear about this. You know, if we are going to have a national security package of spending, national security begins at our own border. This is about our own sovereignty. These are policy changes that could be easily made, but the White House has been very reluctant.
They really went silent on us all of this time. I have been the speaker for a little over six weeks, almost seven weeks, and since the day I was handed the gavel, I have been saying that this was the condition, that we had to do this first. And we passed H.R. 2, the House passed our bill six months ago.
It’s been sitting on the desk of Chuck Schumer ever since. They have not taken us seriously, and here we are at the end of the year, and now they’re saying we’ve run out of time. It’s not the House’s fault.”
