Two congressional Democrats on Monday called President Joe Biden's consideration of Republicans' proposal to boost border security in exchange for foreign aid funding "unconscionable."
"During his 2020 campaign he pledged to restore our nation’s ‘moral standing in the world and our historic role as a haven for refugees and asylum seekers,’" Sen. Alex Padilla (D., Calif.) and Rep. Nanette Barragán (D., Calif.) said of Biden in a press release. "It is unconscionable that the president would consider going back on his word to enact what amounts to a ban on asylum."
Republicans have pushed to tie aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan to border security measures, and President Joe Biden has signaled that he is willing to make "significant compromises on the border." The two parties are negotiating over GOP demands on such issues as asylum standards, humanitarian parole, and expedited removal.
"We are deeply concerned that the president would consider advancing Trump-era immigration policies that Democrats fought so hard against—and that he himself campaigned against—in exchange for aid to our allies that Republicans already support," the duo of Democrats said in their release. "Caving to demands for these permanent damaging policy changes as a ‘price to be paid’ for an unrelated one-time spending package would set a dangerous precedent."
The two lawmakers have been vocal within the party on immigration reform. Padilla is chair of the Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee, and Barragán is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Padilla and Barragán also called many of the Republicans' ideas "nonstarters" for them.
"Terrorizing communities across the U.S. by expanding expedited removal and ignoring our international obligations to provide asylum to those fleeing persecution, violence, and authoritarianism are nonstarters," they said. They concluded the release by claiming that Republicans were putting forth "cruel and unrealistic demands."
The release comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky visits the United States to lobby for U.S. aid for his country amid Russia's invasion. Having arrived on Monday, Zelensky is scheduled to meet with congressional leaders, as well as Biden, on Tuesday. It also comes after a border surge in the fall, in which illegal border crossings approached record levels in September.