Messaging Guidance:

Donald Trump Killed a Bipartisan Border Security Deal to Help His Political Campaign

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Republicans in Washington blocked the most significant border security and immigration bill in decades – all because Donald Trump told them to. For months, the Biden-Harris Administration negotiated tirelessly with a bipartisan group of senators to deliver a tough, fair, and bipartisan deal to finally address the border crisis.

The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate – and was even endorsed by the Border Patrol Union and the Chamber of Commerce. 

Make no mistake about it – Donald Trump blocked  bipartisan efforts to secure the border and keep us safe for one reason and one reason alone: he believed it would benefit him politically, which it did.

Talking Points:

  • Since Donald Trump took control of the party, Republicans in Washington have refused to come to the table and work out a bipartisan solution to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system. In 2017, Donald Trump killed a bipartisan border security package he himself negotiated with Congressional Democrats. And now he’s repeating history.

  • Unfortunately, Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are more interested in creating chaos at the border to score political points than they are passing legislation to resolve this long-standing crisis. Why? Because Donald Trump doesn't want a solution, he wants a talking point.

  • But we deserve better. The American people are sick and tired of Washington’s failure to fix our broken immigration system.

  • The bipartisan border deal would have been the toughest and fairest reforms in decades to secure the border. The bill – which received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate – would have:  

    • Hired thousands of additional border security professionals, immigration judges, and asylum officers to fix our broken immigration system;

    • Invested billions of dollars in infrastructure and technology to more effectively secure our border and prevent the smuggling of illegal substances like fentanyl;

    • And given the president new authorities to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed.

  • But then Donald Trump got involved – directing his allies in Congress to abandon the compromise deal for his own personal, political gain. Faced with a rare opportunity for bipartisan compromise on a critical issue, Republicans caved to Trump’s demands and refused to even put the bill up for a vote.

  • Instead, Donald Trump is doubling down on the same extremist policies that failed to secure the border and keep the American people safe while he was president.

  • Trump caused chaos at the border when he separated families, put kids in cages, and wasted billions of dollars on an ineffective border wall. And by killing the deal , he’s abandoned law enforcement agents instead of giving them the resources and support they need to safely and effectively do their jobs.

  • For decades, lawmakers in Washington have sought a compromise to resolve our border security and immigration challenges. This year, negotiators came closer than they have in years – nearly delivering on the most significant border changes in decades. 

  • Unfortunately, as he has proven time and time again – Donald Trump will always put his own political interests over those of the country. And that’s exactly what he did.

Published: March 2024

Updated: November 2024