WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Tuesday released the following statement on President Biden’s Executive Actions to address challenges at the border:

“For years, Republicans and Democrats have acknowledged that our asylum and immigration system is broken. That’s why every recent president, including President Trump, has asked Congress to update these laws. And it’s what makes the Republicans’ decision to demand and negotiate a bipartisan border security bill, only to kill it – not once, but twice – even more maddening. Rather than working with Democrats to solve the problem, they’ve ensured we just have more of the dysfunctional status quo when Americans want the exact opposite.

“I am sympathetic to the position the administration is in, but I am skeptical the executive branch has the legal authority to shut down asylum processing between ports of entry on its own. Meaningful asylum reform requires a bipartisan solution in Congress. Americans want us to fix our broken immigration and asylum system. They want a secure border, but they also want a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and ways for people to legally come to this country.”

###