US Senate OKs border aid bill

Negotiations will begin on how to use the funds as immigration is a divisive issue in domestic politics

With the surge in migration at the southern border of the United States again capturing global attention, the US Senate on Wednesday approved a $4.6 billion bill to address the crisis, setting up negotiations with the House and President Donald Trump over how the funds should be used.

A photograph distributed around the world this week of Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his toddler daughter Valeria lying dead, facing down on the banks of the Rio Grande River, renewed debate about the plight of Central American migrants attempting to enter the US.

Congressional leaders must choose between a bill from the Republican-controlled Senate and a more restrictive $4.5 billion bill passed by the Democratic-led House. Once the two sides reach a compromise, the bill will be sent to Trump to sign into law.

The House-passed bill contains health and nutrition standards for migrants in custody as well as controls on US immigration agencies following reports of poor conditions facing children in overcrowded facilities. Trump has threatened to veto that approach, and the Senate rejected it on Tuesday.

The Senate then passed its own proposal, which has fewer restrictions than the House version, but includes money - left out by the House - for overtime pay to employees of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE. It also includes $145 million to help the Defense Department cover costs for Pentagon operations at the border.

"We've got Border Patrol agents right now pulling money out of their own pockets to pay for diapers for these kids," Representative Steve Scalise, the No 2 House Republican, told reporters.

The issue of immigration is a divisive one in US politics. Trump made limiting illegal immigration a centerpiece of his election campaign in 2016. He may have had his best opportunity in 2017 and 2018, when Republicans controlled the House and Senate. The Democrats took control of the House in the 2018 midterm elections.

According to a June 5 news release by US Customs and Border Patrol, or CBP, enforcement actions on the Southwestern US border reached 676,315 through May 2019, up 99 percent over the same period in 2018. Total apprehensions on the Southwest border reached 593,507. In the previous seven years, the highest fiscal year total of apprehensions was 479, 371 in 2014.

"We are experiencing a system-wide emergency that is severely impacting our workforce, facilities and resources," acting CBP chief John Sanders said in the release.

The Trump administration has faced criticism recently over conditions inside a Border Patrol facility in Clint, Texas, for inadequate food, lack of medical care, and older children caring for toddlers, The Associated Press reported.

Some Republicans argue that the Democrats don't want to take strong action because they are looking to gain an electoral advantage through migration.

Democrats and activists have accused the administration of opposing the immigrants for demographic reasons, because they are largely from Spanish-speaking nations.

Some Republicans contend that the surge of migrants can overwhelm schools, hospitals and law enforcement. Still, some business groups welcome the immigrants to the workforce.

The issue of "sanctuary cities" and states also has been a contentious one, with such jurisdictions refusing to cooperate with ICE when the agency attempts to enforce deportation orders.

ICE has become a target of some Democratic presidential candidates, who opened the 2020 political season in Miami on Wednesday with the first of two debates this week.

Reuters contributed to this story.

hengweili@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 06/28/2019 page11)