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Cornyn, Cruz lead conservative push against Gang of 8-backed border security 'surge'

The Gang of Eight-backed border security amendment proposed by Republican senators was supposed to bolster GOP support for comprehensive immigration reform — but it has done absolutely nothing to change the minds of Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.

The pair of Texas Republicans today blasted the amendment proposed by Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and John Hoeven of North Dakota and reasserted their opposition to the Gang of Eight proposal.

The Corker-Hoeven amendment would require an additional 10,000 border control troops on the ground, 700 miles of new fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border and create a squadron of unmanned aerial drones to aid patrol. The price tag of the measure, dubbed a "border security surge" by its backers, is a whopping $50 billion.

Cornyn said the new amendment "does nothing more than throw money at the problem."

"I cannot support an amendment cobbled together at the eleventh hour that doubles the border patrol without knowing how much it will cost or whether it is even the right strategy," Cornyn said in a Monday statement. "Unfortunately this measure still omits a real trigger or objective measure to see if the proposed strategy is working. At a time when the trust deficit with the federal government is so huge, we do not need more promises from the government – we need measurable results."

The legislation was introduced in the Senate last week after Cornyn's $30 billion RESULTS amendment was shot down. His amendment would have required full situational awareness and 90 percent operational control of the Southwest border before immigrants could apply for Registered Provisional Immigrant status — a measure criticized by Senate leaders as a "poison pill" to the overall reform package.

Cruz likened the Corker-Hoeven proposal to failed 1986 border security provisions, in which Congress granted legal status to some 3 million in exchange for a promise to secure the borders during an address on the Senate floor last week. He added that "anybill that this body passes should have border security first and then legalization."

Cruz tweeted Friday:

This pass amnesty first, read the bill later "deal" from the Senate must be rejected! Watch & RT why: http://t.co/bb3x4f2jNU#NoAmnesty

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) June 24, 2013

Did you know Leahy/Schumer/Hoeven/Corker amendment to #Go8 is over 1,000 pages & was just filed TODAY w/ vote already on Monday? #NoAmnesty

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) June 21, 2013

House Republicans are also calling for increased border security measures in the bill, and Speaker John Boehner vowed to only bring legislation to the floor that was supported by a majority of Republicans.

Cornyn, Cruz lead conservative push against Gang of 8-backed border security 'surge'
http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2013/06/cornyn-cruz-lead-conservative-push-against-gang-of-8-backed-border-security-surge/

John Hames