WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) joined nearly 60 of her colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition in a letter to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, urging him to work with Democrats to advance a bipartisan border bill that will secure the southern border and reform our immigration system.

“It is unfortunate that you and members of your Conference have described the situation as a winning political issue, and suggested that you would wait to act on the border until a Republican president is elected. This is unacceptable” wrote the Members. “We respectfully urge you to put the American people and our nation’s security ahead of petty partisan politics. It is long past time to negotiate in good faith on a bipartisan solution to humanely secure our southern border and reform our immigration system.”

In the letter, the New Dems express disappointment in the refusal to consider bipartisan solutions for border security and immigration reform, including the Biden Administration’s national security supplemental request. They urge for prioritizing national security over partisan politics, emphasizing the need for a bipartisan approach to address the challenges at the southern border and reform the immigration system.

Today, Congresswoman Budzinski also cosponsored the Dignity Act, a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill that invests in border security, reforms the asylum seeking process and creates new pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Congresswoman Budzinski is also a cosponsor of the Smart Border Protection Act, which invests in new technologies to secure the southern border.

You can read the full letter here and below:

Dear Speaker Johnson,

The New Democrat Coalition has continually recognized the urgency of the situation at the border. In May, we called for comprehensive immigration reform and increased funding to secure the southern border. In July, we urged the Biden Administration to request supplemental resources to bolster border operations. In November, we implored you to bring the Administration’s national security supplemental to the floor for a vote. And we have repeatedly called for bipartisan solutions to meaningfully address the challenges presented by increased migration, the flow of illicit fentanyl through our ports of entry, and the backlog of visa applications and asylum cases in our immigration courts.

That is why we were dismayed by your comments this week that you refuse to even consider a bipartisan solution to securing our border or bring to the floor the national security supplemental. It is unfortunate that you and members of your Conference have described the situation as a winning political issue, and suggested that you would wait to act on the border until a Republican president is elected. This is unacceptable. We respectfully urge you to put the American people and our nation’s security ahead of petty partisan politics.

It is long past time to negotiate in good faith on a bipartisan solution to humanely secure our southern border and reform our immigration system. We appreciate your consideration of this request and remain ready to work together to address this critical issue. 

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