April 24 (UPI) -- House Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee introduced a new bill Monday that would restart construction on former President Donald Trump's border wall.
The proposed 68-page bill will be considered by the committee on Wednesday. If passed into law, the Border Reinforcement Act would enact several measures to make it more difficult for migrants and asylum seekers to gain entry into the United States.
In releasing details of the proposal on Monday, committee chairman Sen. Mark Green, R-Tenn., said the "border crisis" is one of the greatest security threats facing the United States.
The bill would call for construction to restart on Trump's wall at the southern border, expanding it by at least 900 miles. In December, the Biden administration sued Arizona to stop construction on the wall. The administration had stopped funding for the project and stopped construction in 2021.
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It also will require that the Department of Homeland Security add 22,000 border patrol agents, and add technology at border ports to detect narcotics and contraband. Additional surveillance technology, including ground and aerial surveillance equipment, also is provided in the proposal.
Republicans have been critical of the Biden administration's border and immigration policy for what they have called a surge of illegal immigrants at the southern border. The administration has made it a priority to provide asylum to migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba, introducing an app that allows them to secure entry into the United States -- the CBP One App.
Under the Border Reinforcement Act, the app's use would be restricted to the inspection of perishable cargo.
On Tuesday, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., proposed expanding legal pathways for migrants to immigrate to the United States through executive actions by the president. Menendez said his plan would ease the pressure on the Southern border and provide crucial resources.
