A newly proposed bipartisan border security package in the United States has sparked controversy and intense opposition from Republicans. The central provision of the legislation is a new authority that would grant the U.S. government the power to block migrants from entering the country. This measure has raised concerns among Republicans who claim it could incentivize more border crossings.
The key issue is a provision in the bill that would allow the Homeland Security secretary emergency authority to prohibit entry for most individuals if there is an average of over 4,000 unlawful border crossing attempts per day in a week. If the number reaches 5,000 or if 8,500 try to enter unlawfully in a single day, the use of this authority would become mandatory.
