- Senator Graham called on Biden to better handle the southern border crisis
- Insisted that there is no more room for illegal immigrants in the US
- Comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott passes bill allowing his law enforcement officers to arrest, detain and deport migrants
Senator Lindsey Graham said there is no more room in the US for the continued flow of migrants across the southern border as he demanded President Joe Biden give Congress the tools to stem the flow.
The Republican senator from South Carolina said the US should focus on illegally deporting people in the country illegally or waiting for their asylum claims to be heard before welcoming more through legal channels.
Graham also said Republicans in Congress would agree to send more aid to Ukraine if the White House reaches an agreement on overhauling the immigration system and border policies.
“Title 42 authority here needs to be applied to the concept that America is full,” Graham told CBS Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan on Sunday morning.
“If you have to wait four years for an asylum hearing, let's slow down the asylum system. 1.7 million people are ready to be deported,” Graham added. “Let's deport them before we let new people in.”
Senator Lindsey Graham said 'America is full' and called on the Biden administration to better handle the ongoing crisis at the southern border
He said “expedited (migrant) removal is on the table” during Senate negotiations on a deal that would include a review — but also foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
No deal lawmakers were pushing for was reached before the Christmas holidays.
Meanwhile, migration during the holiday months has not slowed down – and has even increased.
With nearly 242,500 encounters in November, there were points where thousands of migrants were lining up after crossing the border illegally in the hope of receiving an asylum claim.
If Republicans in Congress have their way, pandemic-era Title 42 provisions would essentially be restored and allow immediate deportations while they await asylum proceedings, rather than allowing them into the U.S. in the meantime.
“To the Biden administration: accept the tools that would change things and we'll get money for Ukraine,” Graham told CBS during his New Year's Eve interview.
Graham, an early supporter of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential bid, gave a preview of what the ex-president's border policies would look like if he were to win another term.
“If Trump becomes president — if he does — and you are here illegally, you will be deported,” the South Carolina Republican said. “There will be a mass deportation under Donald Trump of people here who are in conflict with the law and who have received a final deportation order.”
Migration at the southern border continues to increase during the winter months, with Texas bearing the brunt of the crisis
As migration increases during the winter months, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law earlier in December that allows law enforcement to arrest, detain and deport migrants at the state level.
The law immediately faced challenges from the Biden administration, which argued that Abbott cannot circumvent federal immigration law with state-level laws that allow agents to act as border control and enforcement.
Abbott continues to send buses and planes full of illegal immigrants to Democratic American cities, including Chicago and New York City.
Speaking with Brennan in a joint interview with Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, the Chicago Democratic leader said Abbott is “determined to continue sowing the seeds of chaos” by sending busloads of migrants into the city “without any coordination.”
He added: “Now he has taken on the very dangerous task of putting individuals on planes and flying them to our various cities. This is certainly not only an issue of our national security, but it is also the kind of chaos this governor is committed to driving.”