GOP Senator: Future Congresses Could Sink Border Security, Green Cards

Immigration bill supporters Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) told Breitbart News on Monday that future Congresses may not appropriate funds for the $40 billion worth of security mandates in the legislation. 

The bill, which now incorporates Corker’s amendment, passed its first hurdle in the Senate by garnering 67 votes to close debate and move forward toward a final vote in the Senate. 

“For anybody who cares about border security there is no question that this is a far stronger provision. It’s beyond border security in many ways,” Senator Corker told reporters. 

When you look at that compared to the fact that there is no plan in the base bill–20,000 border patrol agents; 350 miles of more fence; $4.5 billion worth of technology that border patrol has been asking for for years; an E-verify system; an exit-entry visa system, all of those having to be in place which are tangible and every American can see prior to green card status being achieved. To compare that by any standard to the base bill, which is what this amended, it’s far stronger.   

When asked by Breitbart News how the Senator’s co-sponsored amendment could guarantee future Congresses could appropriate funds for such security measures, Corker argued that illegal immigrants would not receive a green card if a future Congress did not appropriate funds. 

“This bill puts all the money on the front end. It doesn’t matter whether Congress appropriates or not. The bill does that. It was just appropriated by passage of this amendment,” Corker responded when Breitbart News questioned him about the absence of border security even if immigrants did not get green cards. He added, “The bill lays it out. It’s appropriated. That’s usually the way we do it.”

Breitbart News asked the Tennessee Republican how he could make such a guarantee if the present Congress could not bind a future Congress to appropriate the funds the Senate’s immigration bill demands. 

“A future Congress can change anything. I can only say grace,” he answered. “The Congress that’s here today has an outstanding amendment that received overwhelming support and it’s made the bill much, much stronger and I’m proud to co-sponsor it.”