Oklahoma's Senator Lankford Works On Border Policy Reform

As the US House gets ready to pin blame on the person Republicans say caused the border crisis, Oklahoma's Senator James Lankford is still working to solve the crisis in a way both sides can agree on.

Lankford is running point on arguably the most critical issue in front of Congress right now. Border policy reform, he says, has to get done.

“It’s an every day, all day thing, and it has been now for almost three months,” Lankford said.

Lankford, Arizona Independent Kyrsten Sinema, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy are intent on this Congress being the first in three decades to pass meaningful immigration reform. An issue that's become so politicized that everyone has an opinion on it.

“The challenge of trying to be able to bring a package together is trying to get all of those voices heard and then be able to push something across the finish line,” Lankford said.

Lankford was optimistic the group might be able to release actual bill text this week, but he acknowledged today progress has slowed a bit.

“Going through all the text is extremely complicated and obviously something that the Biden administration has not been forward-leaning into, quite frankly,” Lankford said. “They don’t really want to do a lot of border security issues, so they continue to push back in some of the areas.”

Lankford didn't specify in which areas, but he says policy decisions come from the top, and impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas won't change anything by itself.

“Changing the Secretary of Homeland Security isn’t the issue. We’ve got to change the policies, that’s really what’s driving this,” Lankford said.

Among those scheduled to testify to the “havoc in the heartland” caused by Mayorkas’ alleged failure to enforce immigration law is Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. The hearing begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday.