By Julie Tsirkin -
NBC News
As conservatives in Congress criticize the new bipartisan border deal for not being tough enough, the legislation won a key backer Monday: the union that represents U.S. Border Patrol agents.
The National Border Patrol Council — which represents more than 18,000 agents — said the bill "will reduce illegal border crossings across the country and allow our agents to once again detect and apprehend those who want to illegally cross our border and evade arrest."
It's a significant statement of support from a group that backed former President Donald Trump in 2020 and has lashed out at President Joe Biden's handling of the border.
"While not perfect, the Border Act of 2024 is a step in the right direction and is much better than the current status quo," Council President Brandon Judd said in the statement.
"This is why the National Border Patrol Council supports this bill and looks forward to its swift passage."
[Border Patrol lacks medical protocols to treat sick migrant children, independent report finds]
Last week, Judd attended a Republican roundtable on Capitol Hill titled "The Impact of the Biden Border Crisis" and criticized the Biden Administration for having "destabilized our southwest border."
In less than 24 hours since its publication, the Border Act of 2024 has been criticized by Republicans, mainly in the House of Representatives, who attacked the project.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team called the legislation a "waste of time," warning that it will "die on arrival" in the House if it passes the Senate.
Across the Capitol, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, praised Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, the lead Republican negotiator on the bill, and urged his colleagues to study it carefully.
However, several Republican senators have already said they will not support the law as it stands, and it is unclear whether it will get the votes necessary to pass it.
On Monday afternoon, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, set up a procedural vote on a $118 billion supplemental national security bill, which includes border legislation as well as funding for wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and aid for the Indo-Pacific region.
The Senate is expected to hold a first procedural vote on the package on Wednesday.
[Border Patrol agent accused of asking immigrant for $5,000 in exchange for "papers"]
In the statement released Monday, Judd said the bill would "give U.S. Border Patrol agents codified authorities, in law, that we have not had in the past."
Kyrsten Sinema, the independent senator from Arizona who helped negotiate the border deal, called the Border Patrol union's endorsement "great news."
"These men and women are on the front lines of the border crisis and know what it takes to fix our broken system," he wrote on X.