You Want Aid for Israel and Ukraine? Help Us Extend Border Wall and Keep Migrants Out, Demand Senate Republicans

William FurneyNov 12, 2023

Minute Read

President Biden wants to send $105 billion in aid to war-ravaged Ukraine as well as Israel, which is a month into fighting Palestinian terror group Hamas — but Senate Republicans want something of their own, before they agree to the sizeable request: help to keep building the border wall.

Trump’s Wall

A vow to construct a massive wall along the US-Mexico border to stop illegal migrants from crossing into the US was one of Donald Trump’s signature pledges when running for the presidency in 2016.

‘Make Mexico Pay’

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Candidate Trump famously said at the time that, should he be elected president, he would “build the wall and make Mexico pay for it.” Trump was elected and construction began, but the money came from federal funds, not Mexico.

Wall Cancellation

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President Biden canceled the wall’s development when he assumed office in January 2021 but ordered the construction of several sections a year later due to funding that had already been allocated for it.

Set of Senatorial Demands

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In return for approving Biden’s aid request for Ukraine and Israel, Senate Republicans are demanding that the border wall be extended and also that migrants not be automatically granted asylum. They’re also asking for limits on humanitarian parole for those crossing the border into the United States.

No Minority Leader Support Yet

Republican Senators Jim Lankford of Oklahoma and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina proposed the immigration-measure request and so far Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has not indicated if he will back the request.

Discussing with White House

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McConnell said, however, that he had been discussing President Biden’s aid request with the White House and that the best way of getting broad Republican support was by beefing up support along the southern US border.

Republicans on Migrant Crisis

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McConnell said in an interview with The Associated Press that “every single Republican in the Senate and the House” holds the view that a recent sharp increase in migrants crossing the southern border into the United States was a crisis that needed an immediate solution.

Bipartisan Support for Israel

Both sides of the aisle are in support of providing aid to Israel but there is growing discontent with providing yet more funding for the Ukraine conflict, which will be two years old next February.

Billions for Ukraine

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Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the US has given Ukraine more than $75 billion in aid, including financial and humanitarian assistance as well as military support, according to a tally compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent think tank in New York.

New Middle East Conflict

Hamas militants surprised Israeli intelligence agencies by launching a massive attack on the morning of October 7 by firing thousands of missiles into central and southern areas of the country. Around 1,400 people are estimated to have died in the strike in Israel.

Israel’s New War

The Israeli administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, launching an all-out military assault on the group. Humanitarian agencies say around 10,000 people have died in the newly erupted war, most of them civilians in Gaza.

US Security Requirements

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Senator Lankford said it didn’t make sense to provide security for countries around the world while ignoring the United States’ own security, including along its borders. “We’re not going to try to secure other countries and not secure ours,” he said.

Little Democratic Support

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Democrats are unlikely to throw their weight behind Republicans’ demands for additional security measures along the southern US border. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, of Connecticut, blasted the proposal as “not realistic.”

‘Cruel and Impractical’

The Immigration Hub, a group working to ensure fair immigration policies, also denounced the Republicans’ proposed border measures.

“At a time when we need concrete actions and solutions to address the challenges of global migration, the senators have offered a redundant set of recommendations that are cruel, impractical, and dead on arrival, its executive director, Kerri Talbot, said in a statement.

Immigration an Election Issue

President Biden is running for a second term at the White House, in the 2024 presidential election, and immigration and the crisis along the southern border is sure to feature high on candidates’ agendas.

Possible Trump Re-Run

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Trump is also seeking another term at the White House and is the frontrunner in the GOP field to be chosen as its nominee. He leads rivals including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by around 50 points. Should Trump become the candidate, he is sure to return to the border wall again as a core issue.