“Adoption of amendments that would end access to asylum or expand Trump’s border wall will not repair our broken immigration and will put reconciliation at risk,” Menendez tweeted on Monday.
Hundreds of immigrant advocacy groups echoed Menendez’ concerns in a letter released Tuesday. The groups urged senators to reject immigration amendments intended to force Democrats to take difficult votes, including potential amendments to maintain Title 42 restrictions, limit immigrants’ access to health care or ramp up immigration enforcement.
“This bill works to reduce the deficit, fight inflation, invest in both energy and the environment, and lower health care costs for working Americans—Senators should focus on delivering this relief rather than advancing an anti-immigrant agenda,” the groups wrote.
Republican efforts to highlight Democratic weakness on politically tough immigration issues are nothing new. Last August, Republicans won some Democratic support for several immigration-related amendments to the fiscal 2022 budget resolution.
Half the Senate Democratic Conference backed an amendment from Jerry Moran, R-Kan., that suggested “dramatically increasing funding for smart and effective border security measures, improving asylum processing, and reducing immigration court backlogs.” It was agreed to 76-23.
