Texas House GOP Lawmakers Put Squeeze on Senate Republicans’ Border Security Plan

House Republicans from Texas’ congressional delegation are urging their Senate counterparts to push for stricter border security measures, implying they don’t believe the Senate GOP’s recent proposal to stem illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border goes far enough.

The lawmakers sent a letter addressed to their Senate Republican colleagues on Thursday along with a 13-page “Texas Border Plan” put out late last year by Republicans representing the Lone Star State. It’s signed by all but one Texas Republican in the House.

“In May 2023, the House of Representatives embraced the Texas Border Plan in passing H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023. H.R. 2 is by far the strongest border security legislation to ever pass Congress, but — to date — Chuck Schumer’s Senate has failed to act on this critical legislation,” the letter said.

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A Senate GOP working group rolled out a proposal to help solve the southern border crisis earlier this week. They are pushing for the plan to be attached to President Biden’s supplemental aid request for Ukraine and Israel in exchange for Republican support.

The plan includes elements that overlap with H.R. 2 — like resuming construction of former President Donald Trump’s border wall and curbing the Biden administration’s ability to parole undocumented migrants — but Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who is leading the Thursday letter, criticized it for falling short of the House bill.

“The [Senate GOP] talking about watered down border security & amnesty… hmmm… where have I heard that before?  Thanks, but no,” Roy wrote Wednesday on X.

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