Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said the nation faces a “grave national security risk” if the Senate fails to pass a bipartisan border security bill that Republicans blocked earlier this year after former President Donald Trump said it could hurt his comeback bid.
In stark terms, the Democrat told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that there’s pressing urgency to adopt the Border Act, which would make it more difficult for migrants to gain asylum, hire more border agents and impose new controls on illegal crossings.
“Every day Congress fails to act, the country is at increasing risk. Every day Congress fails to pass a border security measure, the risk increases,” he said, adding that the “executive branch’s failures are not an excuse for failures of the legislative branch.
“It’s imperative my Republican colleagues allow us to debate and amend this bill and pass a border security bill this week, notwithstanding the former president’s demands that we do nothing.”
Republicans are expected to block the measure again, just as they did in February when Trump told his allies in the Senate it was an election year “gift” to President Joe Biden, even though it contained several border control measures that GOP leaders sought.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s decision to revive it this week is viewed by critics as an effort by Democrats to insulate themselves from blowback over immigration policies, a rising concern in polls that show Biden in a tough rematch fight with Trump.
Though illegal migration across the U.S. border with Mexico has ticked downward since late last year, Customs and Border Protection data show there were still more than 6,000 average daily border crossings in March.
It was negotiated by a bipartisan trio that included U.S. Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican and staunch conservative who became an outcast among some Trump allies for working toward a compromise.
Republicans indicated they would kill the bill again. U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah posted on social media that it would make the border “far LESS secure.” House Speaker Mike Johnson called it “dead on arrival” in his chamber. And Lankford urged Democrats to back off the “political” maneuver.
Ossoff, who is running for another term in 2026, has long criticized inaction on border legislation. He said the issue shouldn’t be seen as political theater.
“There is a grave national security risk if this legislation is blocked,” Ossoff said. “As I have been warning for months, the counterterrorism threat associated with unlawful entry at the southern border is real. And it is urgent.”
