Republican House members have passed a Homeland security budget that includes $1.6 Billion to begin work on Trump’s border wall. House Democrats have vowed to fight the bill even if that means shutting down the government at the end of September. House Republicans are threatening to shut down the government if the bill doesn’t include the $1.6 Billion for the wall. From the WashingtonTimes.com:
GOP leaders said the $1.6 billion fully meets Mr. Trump’s request to begin wall construction, which includes 32 miles of new border fencing in Texas, 28 miles of levee wall along the Rio Grande Valley, also in Texas, and 14 miles of replacement fence in San Diego.
The bill also adds 500 new Border Patrol agents, 1,000 more agents and officers for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the interior, and provides enough money to maintain 44,000 detention beds. That’s a massive increase over the Obama years, and Trump officials said it will allow them to detain and deport illegal immigrants faster and with a higher success rate.
The GOP bill also calls for adding more than two dozen new jurisdictions to the 287(g) program which allows local police and sheriff’s deputies to be trained to enforce immigration laws.
House Democrats will fight hard against this but the reality is, Republicans have the votes in the House. Or they should have the votes if the whip can keep them in line.
