Lindsey Graham has framed immigration enforcement as a national security issue
The US needs to fortify its border with Mexico and start mass deportations as soon as possible in the name of national security, Senator Lindsey Graham has said.
The South Carolina Republican who chairs the Senate Budget Committee spoke to Fox News on Sunday about the pending budget reconciliation bill, as some in President-elect Donald Trump’s party worried it was trying to do too many things at once.
“I’m very worried that if we don’t put border first and get it done, it’s going to be a nightmare for our national security,” Graham told Fox’s Maria Bartiromo.
“We’ve got millions of illegal immigrants that President Trump has promised to deport, and he should. Why are we doing mass deportation? Because we had mass illegal immigration,” he added.
Building the border wall and hiring more immigration enforcement will cost $100 billion, however, and “there’s no way in hell Democrats are going to give us $100 billion for mass deportation,” Graham said.
“I will support whatever gets us over the line, but I am worried about delay when it comes to border security. Delay equals danger,” he added.
The senator said he was in favor of increasing military spending and warned his colleagues who wanted to prioritize tax policy not to hold border security “hostage” in the process.
“You’re playing Russian roulette with our national security,” Graham warned.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told Fox on Sunday that the party agenda involves “dismantling the deep state” as well as cutting taxes and regulations to boost US manufacturing. He described border security, tax cuts, and deregulation as the key priorities of the upcoming administration.
Trump swept the 2024 presidential election but his party ended up with only a small majority in the House and the Senate. Republicans are now working on a funding bill that would be taken up through the so-called reconciliation process, which would allow it to get passed without any votes from the Democrats.
