Members of the Oklahoma Republican Party approved a resolution condemning Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford for negotiating with Democratic lawmakers about a compromise on illegal immigration and border security.
Lankford and other officials, including Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Arizona Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema, are reportedly nearing the end of negotiations on a deal that would let the White House suspend asylum after several thousand crossings occur in a given day or week. Oklahoma Republicans said that they “resoundingly approved” a resolution condemning Lankford and cautioning that “until Senator Lankford ceases from these actions, the Oklahoma Republican Party will cease all support for him.”
The resolution, which was drafted by newly elected Oklahoma Republican State Senator Dusty Deevers, said Lankford is “playing fast and loose with Democrats on our border policy,” a move which “not only disenfranchises legal immigrants seeking citizenship” but also “puts the safety and security of Americans” in great danger. The document calls on him to “cease and desist jeopardizing the security and liberty of the people of Oklahoma and of these United States.”
Lankford dismissed the concerns over the negotiations as “internet rumors” and contended in an interview that the deal "focuses on getting us to zero illegal crossings" every day.
Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott also chastised Lankford in another interview about the negotiations, warning that Democrats “do not want to secure the border” and that the Biden administration is “completely lawless.” He characterized the negotiations as a “suicide mission.” Former President Donald Trump, who will most likely be the Republican nominee in the race for the White House, also said that “a bad border deal is far worse than no border deal.”
The controversy with respect to border negotiations occurs as the state government of Texas and the Biden administration clash over illegal immigration. Texas officials recently assumed control of Shelby Park, a public park in the city of Eagle Pass next to the Rio Grande, preventing federal agents from entering the nearly three-mile stretch of the border.
Five members of the Supreme Court decided in favor of granting an emergency request from the Biden administration to remove razor wire in the area, after which Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott said he would defend the “constitutional authority to secure the border.”
United States Customs and Border Protection has encountered more than 7.5 million individuals entering the country illegally since Biden assumed office. The illegal crossings also correspond with drug trafficking and taxpayer expenses related to services for the illegal immigrants.
