Senate Republicans draw ‘red line’ on parole as border talks stall
By David Sivak January 10, 2024
Senate Republicans made clear on Wednesday there will be no immigration deal unless Democrats agree to restrictions on parole, the border authority used by the administration to admit hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
That was the unequivocal message as Republicans emerged from a meeting convened to update members on the state of talks. The conference has been united in the need for border reforms as crossings reach record highs, but conservatives have warned against accepting any deal the White House could sidestep.
They consider parole to be one possible loophole.
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), the lead Republican negotiator, answered questions from members, but the huddle also provided the conference an opportunity to get on the same page as border negotiations with Senate Democrats and the White House stall.
Republicans have extracted major concessions on asylum, including raising the “credible fear” standard that allows border crossers to remain in the country temporarily, but the issue of parole has for weeks been the biggest sticking point.
One side will eventually have to blink in a game of chicken that is holding up funding for Ukraine. Republicans are demanding border policy changes in exchange for the aid.
The latest play appears to be a message to Democrats that Republicans will not budge.
“That’s a strong red line of our conference, and they need to take that seriously,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) said of Democrats as he left the conference meeting. “The parole issue is critical, and we’re very united on it.”
He was not alone. Over and again, Republicans zeroed in on the issue as central to getting a deal done.
“I think the one thing that, if anything comes out of it, is there’s a real strong opinion in our conference that this issue of parole has got to be dealt with in some way,” said Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the Senate minority whip.
What parole reform looks like is still up for negotiation, but Thune said there is wide support for a cap on the number of people who can be admitted using the authority, as is done to limit refugee arrivals each year.
Democrats say parole, which allows some to live in the country temporarily on humanitarian grounds, is a tool the White House needs to manage the flow of immigrants at the border. But Republicans call the administration’s use of it an abuse.
The Department of Homeland Security has resettled immigrants in Venezuela, Cuba, and elsewhere under that authority.
Republicans, who say the White House has abandoned the statutory requirement to consider applicants on a case-by-case basis, predicted the courts would rule against the Biden administration and limit its use.
But Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said policy changes would be more enduring than any court ruling.
Negotiators had hoped to have a deal in hand as lawmakers returned from the Christmas recess this week. But Lankford was nonetheless able to walk members through areas of common ground in the talks. An expansion in the expedited removal of immigrants from the interior of the country is no longer on the table, for example, according to multiple senators.
There is no hard deadline on a border deal. But Ukraine is front of mind for leadership as funding runs out. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) vocally supports the aid even as he demands border reforms.
Part of the calculus is the need to get a deal through the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is under pressure to reject anything that falls short of H.R. 2, the chamber’s flagship border security legislation.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) predicted that negotiators would eventually reach a deal, however, given that aid for Ukraine is at risk.
“I think where there’s there’s a will, there’s a way,” Hawley, a Ukraine skeptic, said. “Remember, this is really about Ukraine. This isn’t actually about the border.”
Emily Jacobs contributed to this story.
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