by Guy Page
With 14 other Republican governors in Eagle Pass, Texas supporting Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to stop what he calls an immigrant invasion on the Southern border, Vermont Governor Phil Scott has co-authored an op-ed with Connecticut Democrat Governor Ned Lamont calling on Congress to pass controversial border legislation.
“For the good of the nation, it’s time to get behind the bipartisan immigration deal that is making its way through Congress,” the op-ed published shortly after noon today on Newsweek.com begins.
“If we were governors in that region, we’d be frustrated and exhausted by the failure of the federal government too,” the pair of New England governors say in the commentary headlined, “Take It From Two Governors: The Time for Immigration Reform Is Now.”
Critics of the border bill – including almost all conservative Republicans in Congress – say the bill’s loopholes will institutionalize a porous border. According to senators quoted in Center Square news reports, the bill:
- Requires the Department of Homeland Security to close the border entirely if border agents have an average of 5,000 or more encounters in a week.
- Codifies catch-and-release under so-called ‘alternatives to detention’ for any alien who says they intend to apply for asylum or another protection.
- Gives immediate work permits to everyone who says they want asylum, as long as they pass an initial screening.
- Grants Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas the ability to grant asylum claims without going through immigration court.
Scott took heat last week when he and only one other GOP governor (the other from Alaska) refused to sign a letter of support for Abbott.
But Scott and Lamont express trust in Biden to close the border when necessary.
“The agreement currently being crafted would empower any president to shut down the border when necessary. President Biden has pledged to use this new power on day one to shut down and secure the border. And that is exactly what is necessary—a full reset of the border—to secure it. And if he doesn’t, he has said it’s on him.”
Gov. Scott took heat last week for being one of only two GOP governors to not sign a letter of support for Abbott. Scott’s spokesperson said Scott doesn’t sign any Republican Governor Association letters.
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