Messaging Guidance:

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

MARCH 2024

 

Background:

Republicans in Washington are blocking 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. 

Then, Donald Trump got involved. Viewing the bipartisan deal as a threat to his election campaign, Trump ordered his allies in Congress to oppose the bill – killing what was perhaps the nation’s best chance to pass bipartisan border security legislation in nearly two decades. 

Make no mistake about it – Donald Trump is blocking bipartisan efforts to secure the border and keep us safe for one reason and one reason alone: he believes it will benefit him politically.

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 longstanding crisis. Why? Because Donald Trump doesn't want a solution, he wants a campaign slogan.

  • But we deserve better. The American people are sick and tired of Washington’s failure to fix our broken immigration system. That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration has been working tirelessly with members of both parties to negotiate a compromise that would finally address the border crisis.

  • 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 now, he’s abandoning 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 that would 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.