(RepublicanView.org) – Oklahoma’s state GOP lawmakers have voted to censure one of their own over border deal negotiations with Democrats.
Federal Republican Senator James Lankford drew the ire of his state’s colleagues after they accused him of compromising with Democrats on an open-border policy. The resolution says Lankford worked closely with Charles Schumer (D-NY) in a compromise that will allow 5,000 undocumented immigrants to enter the United States and find jobs every day.
According to the resolution, Lankford violated the OKGOP’s official platform that only supports legal immigration with limits. It condemns attempts to provide a “path for citizenship” for those who have remained here illegally.
It then accuses Lankford of supporting policies that undermine national security and harm immigrants who worked hard to come to the US legally. It then states that the party will no longer support him until he stops supporting such policies.
Lankford had been spearheading ongoing negotiations between both parties over resolutions for the southern border and Ukraine funding. Republicans want the border protected but are reluctant to approve more funding for Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Democrats have demanded a compromise on the issue.
Senators have said they are close to reaching a deal on border security as illegal immigration surges. However, the provisions drew condemnation from GOP candidate Donald Trump, who called it a “disaster” on social media. However, Lankford claimed some of those provisions have been misunderstood. He said it is instead a shutdown of the border when it’s rushed by migrants and authorities reach capacity.
Still, Trump said that there is absolutely no chance that he will support the bill as the Republican party’s leader. Senators on both sides said that statement strained negotiations that were already fragile. However, many Republicans see that as a benefit given the willingness of some Republicans to compromise.
Mike Johnson, the Republican House Speaker, also said that the deal will most likely be dead as soon as it arrives in the House. He also accused Biden of lying over claims that the president would shut down the border if the deal passed. Johnson has been in close contact with Trump throughout the negotiation stages.
Stan Stevens, executive director of the Oklahoma GOP, told The Hill on January 30 that he was not recognizing the censure of Lankford as “legitimate” because he wasn’t present for the meeting and some members of the committee weren’t properly notified. According to him, the meeting was called by Wayne Hill, the Vice Chair.
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