US Congressmen Brian Fitzpatrick, Jared Golden, Don Bacon and others released a statement on the legislation — dubbed the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act — after US House Speaker Mike Johnson said that House lawmakers would not hold a vote on a $95 billion spending bill passed by the US Senate.
“This legislation would require the suspension of entry of inadmissible aliens to achieve operational control over US borders, require immigration officers to detain and immediately expel inadmissible aliens, and provide $66.32 billion in defense-only funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan,” the statement said.
The border security and national security appropriations would only be active for one year after enactment, the statement added.
Moreover, the legislation provides $4.91 billion to support US and allied deterrence operations in the Indo-Pacific region, $2.44 billion for US Central Command operations and $542 million for US Indo-Pacific Command operations, the statement said.
The bill’s border security provisions include requiring the US Secretary of Homeland Security to suspend the entry of inadmissible migrants if the secretary determines it necessary to achieve operational control of the border, the statement said. The bill also requires immigration officers to detain inadmissible migrants and expel them to Mexico or their home country without a hearing or review, the statement said.
The legislation includes a so-called “remain in Mexico” policy as well, which requires migrants seeking admission to the United States to stay in the country from which they attempted to enter the US until a court adjudicates their status, the statement said.
“As the world’s oldest and strongest democracy, the United States’ primary responsibility must be to secure its own borders. But we also have an obligation to assist our allies in securing their borders, especially when they come under assault by dictators, terrorists, and totalitarians,” Fitzpatrick said in the statement.
The US House of Representatives is not set to return to legislative business until February 28.