Without principled leadership from congressional leaders, it may not have a snowball\u2019s chance in a Tegucigalpa summer. But legislation to fund and build a wall on America\u2019s southern border makes more sense than ever.<\/p>\n
So now comes the “Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act\u201d<\/a> that:<\/p>\n In addition to wall funding, H.R. 6657\u2019s “Secure the Southern Border Fund” would help pay for the 5,000 new Border Patrol officers President Donald Trump has requested, as well as covering the cost of 10,000 new interior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.<\/p>\n If anything, ICE may be shortchanged in the bill, since the agency provides detention services for all detained border-crossers and its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division handles detention support. Given that ICE rounds up visa overstays and others who enter the country by ways other than the border, ICE deserves a share of the funding stream earmarked for Border Patrol vehicles and equipment.<\/p>\n Though President Trump was elected two years ago on his pledge to build a border wall \u2013 and a restive public is anxious to see action on that promise — the sensible and straightforward legislation by U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., faces plenty of political barriers. The Republican-led Congress has, so far, offered only $5 billion toward the wall<\/a>. If the GOP loses the House in the midterm election, H.R. 6657 dies in the mud.<\/p>\n Biggs\u2019s bill dovetails with Rep. Kevin McCarthy\u2019s call for $25 billion<\/a> to build the wall (H.R. 7059<\/a>). Even so, the House majority leader (and presumptive House speaker if the GOP holds the chamber) will encounter tough sledding in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to overcome filibustering Democrats.<\/p>\n And so there it is: Caravans of Central American migrants are getting across borders more easily than border-enforcing bills can get down Pennsylvania Avenue. Welcome to America. \n