White House Requests Nearly $14 Billion for Border Security, New Hires
The Biden Administration is seeking $13.6 billion in emergency funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and other agencies for border security and immigration issues as well as fighting the flow of fentanyl. The administration says the money will help with its migration strategy that is focused on “enforcement, deterrence, and diplomacy.”
The funding request is part of a broader $105 billion emergency funding package for Ukraine ($61 billion) and Israel ($14 billion).
The administration is tying the DHS money to foreign aid, hoping that border funding will sweeten the deal for Congressional Republicans.
The immigration money is $10 billion more than the administration asked for in August, when it made a supplemental border security funding request that went unfulfilled.
Hiring Spree
Much of the supplemental money would go toward hiring. The administration says the funds would allow for the hiring of an additional 1,300 border patrol agents, 300 border patrol processing coordinators and support staff, 1,000 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, 1,600 asylum officers and support staff, and 1,470 Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorneys. The attorneys would match the 375 new immigration judge teams to speed up the processing of immigration requests. Thirty (30) new U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) officers would be hired to speed up issuing work authorization documents for eligible noncitizens.
Besides the hiring, the administration is earmarking money for additional detention beds and for removal flights and other resources to move migrants.
It also includes grant money for local communities that house migrants.
“The supplemental requests funding for border enforcement to reflect the evolving needs of the Department and funds additional resources for CBP, ICE, and USCIS to cover projected shortfalls and hire additional personnel to help right-size a system that was not built to manage the level of encounters we are experiencing,” the White House said in a fact sheet.
The supplemental also includes money to fight the flow of fentanyl at the nation’s borders, including funds to install cutting-edge detection technology at ports of entry along the southern border.
“The funds in the supplemental will enable both agencies to apply the lessons learned and keep up with the tactics of the transnational criminal organizations that control the fentanyl trade,” the administration wrote.
Long Road Ahead
There are several barriers to getting this proposal passed into law.
For one thing, passage is uncertain in Congress. House Republicans have coalesced around new Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) but it is unclear how the new speaker will govern. Nevertheless, the administration says the ball is in Congress’s court.
“As we’ve said repeatedly, Congress needs to take action to provide sufficient resources for the border,” said Office of Management and Budget Director (OMB) Shalanda Young.
Even if the money went through, finding workers is another challenge. DHS components have struggled to hire over their authorized levels and the asylum officer and ICE attorney plans would more than double those workforces.