News

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) filed five amendments to the $95 billion foreign aid package, which would provide assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

• “Assistance to our allies abroad is important, but America’s priority must be protecting our citizens from the invasion occurring along our southern border. President Biden continues to fail at his most basic responsibilities. We cannot continue sending money to protect our allies’ borders without first securing our own.” – Senator Rubio

A summary of Rubio’s amendments is below.

• #1545: An amendment to prohibit entry of any alien without a valid visa, including at all points of entry along the northern and southern borders. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security must show we have “full operational control” of our borders, request Congress to lift the closure, and Congress must approve.

• #1455: An amendment, based on the House-passed Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act (H.R. 6976), to allow for the deportation of non-citizens who are convicted of driving while intoxicated or impaired. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support.

• #1456: An amendment, based on the House-passed the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act (H.R. 6679), to deport any non-citizen who participated or assisted in the October 7, 2023 attacks and clarify those individuals are inadmissible to the United States. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support.

• #1457: An amendment, based on Rubio’s House-passed Hamas International Financing Prevention Act (H.R. 340), to impose targeted sanctions on Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and any affiliate or successor groups, and any financial institution or entity that funds them. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support.

• #1546: An amendment to reform the asylum process by 1) raising the asylum standard from “significant possibility” to “reasonable possibility,” 2) requiring would-be asylum seekers to relocate within their home countries first if possible, 3) reestablishing Safe Third Country requirements, and 4) prohibiting asylum for those who traveled through a contiguous country first, like Mexico, but did not apply for asylum in such country.