A pair of Republican senators are nearing a deal with the so-called Gang of Eight on a provision to strengthen border security, according to media reports Wednesday.
The deal, being worked out by Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and John Hoeven (R-ND), would resolve a contentious dispute on Capitol Hill that threatened to derail the immigration reform effort.
According to Politico, citing both senators and aides, the provision — an alternative to the border security amendment offered by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) — would ensure an “unprecedented increase in border security funding and officers” as well as a pledge to complete construction of the fence along the United States-Mexico border.
Cornyn’s proposal would require a 90 percent apprehension rate of those crossing the border illegally, but the Corker-Hoeven proposal would reportedly soften that requirement.
