GOP bill would bring back Trump-era migrant policy nixed by Biden: 'Statement of resolve'

FIRST ON FOX: Legislation introduced Thursday by Republican lawmakers would move to reinstate agreements with three Central American countries penned by the Trump administration to prevent migrants from coming to the U.S. border that were shut down by the Biden administration.

The Northern Triangle Asylum Cooperative Agreement Reimplementation Act, introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., would aim to re-establish the asylum agreements entered into by the Trump administration with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The bill would withhold aid to those countries until the agreements were resurrected.

The agreements allowed the U.S. to send migrants to those countries to claim asylum if they passed through them on the way to the U.S. They also required migrants who cross through those countries to seek protection there instead of at the U.S. border.

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Transfers under the Guatemala agreement had been paused since mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the agreements with El Salvador and Honduras were never implemented. The Biden administration terminated the agreements in 2021.

"The Biden administration believes there are more suitable ways to work with our partner governments to manage migration across the region," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time. "The United States will build on our strong relationships and support these governments’ efforts to address forced displacement without placing undue burden on them, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic."

But Republicans have blamed the rollback of Trump-era policies by the Biden administration for the ongoing crisis at the southern border, which is now into its fourth year and has seen record numbers of migrant encounters.

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Mace’s bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., and Lance Gooden, R-Texas, would condition assistance to the countries, require certifications for the agreements and demand regular recertifications every six months.

"The 'Northern Triangle Asylum Cooperative Agreement Reimplementation Act' is a statement of resolve to secure our borders and uphold the integrity of our asylum system and remedy one of the many failed border policies brought by this administration," Mace said in a statement. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

"If a country is not willing to help us protect our sovereignty, American taxpayers should not be funding their prosperity," Rosendale said. "When the ACAs were originally written as immigration-restricting measures, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras agreed to assist us in managing our border crisis. Now that Biden has shredded these agreements, the aid promised should not continue to be delivered."

It comes amid an ongoing face-off between Republicans and the administration over how to handle the crisis. The administration says it needs more funding and comprehensive immigration reform from Congress, including a bipartisan Senate deal hammered together earlier this year.