Biden Budget Invests in Border Security and Legal Pathways

Congressional Republicans killed a bipartisan border deal that would have made historic investments in improving border security and efficiency in our immigration system. And it’s not the first time—Republicans have killed every bipartisan immigration deal this century, and then blamed the consequences on Democrats. But the Biden Budget shows that Democrats are committed to improving border security, as well as improving legal pathways into the country.

Investing in Border Security

The Biden Budget makes historic investments in border security, including funding for more border patrol agents and resources to stop illicit fentanyl at the border. President Biden is committed to restoring order at the border. His budget proposes:

• $405 million to hire 1,300 additional Border Patrol agents.
• $239 million to hire 1,000 additional Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers.
• $849 million to install cutting-edge detection technology at ports of entry.
• $4.7 billion contingency fund to help the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secure the border during migrant surges.
• $4.5 billion for DHS to combat fentanyl trafficking at the border.

Improving Legal Pathways

The Biden Budget also makes vital investments in improving legal pathways into the country. Our under-resourced immigration system has contributed to chaos at the border, as immigration courts don’t have the capacity to efficiently process cases, creating a backlog. President Biden’s Budget would provide funding to hire more immigration judges and asylum officers to improve processing times. His budget proposes:

• $1.3 billion to hire 375 new immigration judge teams.
• $755 million to hire an additional 1,600 asylum officers and support staff.
• $981 million for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to enhance immigration courts and help address the court backlog.
• $9.2 billion for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to support resettling up to 125,000 refugees in 2025.

President Biden is also calling on Congress to expand lawful pathways so that more people have the opportunity to immigrate to the United States legally, and fewer make the dangerous trip to arrive at the border.

Conclusion

Republicans claim to be serious about border security, but Democrats are putting their money where their mouth is on restoring order at the border. Democrats came to the table and made compromises in the Senate bipartisan border deal, and Republicans walked away because Trump made them. Now President Biden’s budget yet again shows that he’s serious about improving border security and legal pathways to enter the country. A good budget does both, not one without the other, and this President is offering solutions while his political opponents refuse to take yes for an answer.