The border bill was once again killed last week, leaving border states to fight illegal immigration with limited resources on their own. For years, Texas has been at the forefront of trying to secure the border from those who want to get into the country illegally, and the operations under Operation Lone Star have provided some results just recently. This has put California under pressure as a growing number of immigrants from all over the world choose the Golden State as an alternative entry point, disrupting the lives of millions of people who live in the southern parts of the state.
A record-breaking year
Experts predict that there will be a record-high number of migrants at the California border this year. The border patrol has witnessed the highest number of asylum seekers since the start of the fiscal year, and they expect this trend to continue during the summer months. Southern areas and cities are heavily exposed to the influx of migrants, causing everyday problems for local officials who have financial struggles to provide the basic services for thousands of people who cross the border each day. Local officials claim that the current situation with migrants is the worst in decades.
Operation Lone Star in Texas
More than three years have passed since Texas launched the controversial Operation Lone Star program, a set of measures funded with state money aimed at securing the border. With thousands of state soldiers monitoring the border and billions of dollars later, the number of people who enter the state from Mexico has drastically fallen in recent months. One of the most controversial measures is transporting migrants to sanctuary states and cities, led by Democrats. With the introduction of this measure, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott found himself in the spotlight as more than 105,000 migrants were bussed to cities that are far from the border, and he remains committed to continuing the same in the near future.
The border bill
In February, House Republicans turned down a bipartisan border bill that was designed to provide the federal government and President Joe Biden additional legal resources to secure the border. This bill, known as the most extensive of its kind, failed to get approval in the House of Representatives. Democrats point fingers at Trump for his influence over the group. Over three months later, a border deal that would have empowered the president to close the border during periods of high crossings was once again blocked in the Senate on Thursday afternoon.
The procedural vote on the bill failed 43 to 50, before the Senate left for a Memorial Day recess. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was the only Republican senator who supported proceeding with the bill. Three others, who had initially supported the deal in February, changed their stance to “no” in the latest vote. Notably, two senators who were among the three negotiators of this deal, Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), voted against it on Thursday
The reactions
“Congressional Republicans have enough time to travel to New York to kiss Trump’s boots, but not enough courage to side with the American people and Border Patrol over fentanyl traffickers,” Biden-Harris 2024 spokesperson James Singer said in a statement, first provided to Axios. “Trump proudly asked MAGA Republicans to kill the strongest bipartisan border bill in a generation because he thinks creating chaos will help him politically – they cynically followed his order,” Singer continued.
Why does it matter
Illegal immigration has become a central issue in the presidential campaign for both candidates. Critics have accused the Biden administration and the federal government of “keeping the border open” and allowing millions of migrants to enter the country since Biden took office. Recently, the federal government launched two initiatives to tackle the border crisis. However, these efforts are viewed by many as ‘too little, too late’ effort, perceived as a last-minute attempt by the Biden administration to gain political points before the upcoming November general election.
