Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement in support of the bipartisan border and national security agreement.
“This bipartisan agreement will strengthen our border security, crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking, and update an asylum process that is not working. It will also create 250,000 visas to help reunite families and encourage legal immigration. There’s more work to do to fix our broken immigration system, but this bill is an important first step.”
The bipartisan border and national security package includes:
- Critical tools and cutting-edge technology to address border security and ensure legitimate asylum claims can be processed more quickly.
- Increased access to legal counsel throughout the asylum process, including mandatory counsel for children.
- Funding to hire more Border Patrol agents, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, asylum officers, and immigration judges.
- The bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act to help stop the deadly flow of fentanyl into our communities by cracking down on transnational drug trafficking schemes, as well as new funding for screening technology to stop drug smuggling at the border.
- 250,000 new family and employment-based visas.
- The bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act to support our Afghan allies who risked their lives to support the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
- Funding to support Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, as well as robust humanitarian aid for innocent Palestinian civilians.
Senator Cortez Masto has worked to deliver vital funding to Ukraine, and Israel, while strengthening our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. She has consistently pushed to fix our broken immigration system by balancing critical border security measures with meaningful immigration reform. She has urged President Biden to expand TPS for key Central American countries.
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