Several Senate Democrats Indicate Backing for Trump’s Border Security Initiative
A total of 13 Democratic senators have signed a letter indicating potential support for GOP initiatives aimed at enhancing ‘immigration enforcement’ in efforts to combat illegal immigration.
WASHINGTON—A collective of 13 U.S. Senators from the Democratic Party has shown openness to collaborating on upcoming Republican-led legislation focused on border security and immigration, which stands as a key issue for President Donald Trump.
The push for measures designed to boost border security and reinforce immigration laws—specifically the expulsion of illegal immigrants from the U.S.—was a central theme of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Before assuming office, Trump initiated discussions with Republican leaders in Congress regarding the legislation needed to advance his agenda.
Currently, Republicans are tentatively considering utilizing the “budget reconciliation” process to pass border security policies, which would allow them to bypass cloture in the Senate and avoid the filibuster requiring 60 votes.
On January 22, 13 Democratic senators sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) expressing their willingness to work with Republicans in crafting bipartisan border security legislation. Their backing for any final agreement might eliminate the need for reconciliation—known for its restrictions on the scope and duration of provisions—and allow for permanent reforms instead.
The Democratic senators stated, “There is ample common ground for us to start from. We acknowledge the necessity for strong, sensible, and fair immigration enforcement alongside the required resources to secure our borders.” They added, “[F]inding bipartisan solutions to our outdated immigration system is too vital to overlook in the 119th Congress,” highlighting the limitations posed by the budget reconciliation process.
Provisions in a reconciliation bill must relate to taxation, spending, or public borrowing, and their fiscal impacts are restricted to a duration of 10 years. Therefore, some of Trump’s initiatives, such as construction of a wall along the U.S. southern border, might qualify for inclusion, while other immigration policy reforms, like those related to asylum and refugee laws, could be excluded. Modifications to the reconciliation process would necessitate changes to Senate rules, a step that both parties have been hesitant to take.
Conversely, a bill passed through standard legislative processes could implement permanent reforms and allocate funding for initiatives extending beyond 10 years, though this opportunity would require bipartisan backing of at least 60 votes.
Leading the letter was Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), representing a state that Trump secured in the 2024 election by more than 5 percentage points, marking his largest victory margin in a battleground state. Additional senators who signed from states Trump won in 2024 include Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), along with Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).
Also signing were Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Margaret “Maggie” Hassan (D-N.H.)—both from New Hampshire, which Trump narrowly lost in terms of raw votes in the 2024 election—as well as Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Angus King (I-Maine).
Historically, Democrats in both chambers of Congress have strongly opposed the immigration measures proposed by Trump. During his first term, Senate Democrats rejected an appropriations bill in 2018 that would have allocated $5 billion for a new border wall, leading to a lack of sufficient support and causing a government shutdown that lasted 35 days—the longest in U.S. history.
The majority leader’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment.