Border Patrol Union endorses controversial Senate border deal: ‘far better than the status quo’
The union believes provisions in the bill will lead to a significant drop in illegal crossings
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Border Patrol Council tells Fox News that it supports the controversial bipartisan Senate border deal released Sunday ahead of an expected vote in the upper chamber later this week.
In a statement to Fox News, NBPC said it supported and endorsed the deal negotiated in the Senate. While acknowledging it was not perfect, the union said it was "far better than the status quo." Still, the union stopped short of endorsing the rest of the spending in the bill.
FILE: Immigrants walk along the fortified bank of the Rio Grande after crossing the border from Mexico into the United States as U.S. Border Patrol agents look on September 28, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)
According to NBPC, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has averaged more than 6,700 apprehensions per day since President Joe Biden has been in office. The vast majority of these have been released under a policy known as "catch-and-release."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Per NBPC, approximately 60% of all border apprehensions are single adult adults, many of whom are military-age men.
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NBPC says the Border Act of 2024 will give Border Patrol agents an authority that they never had in the past, including removing "single adults expeditiously and without a lengthy judicial review, which historically has required the release of these individuals into the interior of the U.S."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE: Texas National Guard soldiers wait nearby the boat ramp where law enforcement enter the Rio Grande at Shelby Park on January 26, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. Gov. (Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)
NBPC believes this will lead to a drop in illegal border crossings and allow agents to focus on detecting and apprehending would-be illegal border crossers who evade apprehension.
"While not perfect, the Border Act of 2024 is a step in the right direction and is far better than the status quo, which is why the National Border Patrol Council endorses this bill and hopes for a quick passage," NBPC said in a statement.
Speaker Mike Johnson led GOP leaders in a statement opposing the border deal
The endorsement comes after senators on Sunday released a text of the highly anticipated $118 billion package that pairs border enforcement policy with wartime aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other U.S. allies.
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The bill has run into a wall of opposition from top House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson. The Senate was expected this week to hold a key test vote on the legislation, but within hours of the text being released, Johnson said on social media that it would be "dead on arrival" if it reached the House.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.