US Senate Democrats ask for bipartisan border security, immigration talks

​​​​​​​By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Senate Democrats urged Senate leadership on Wednesday to pursue bipartisan solutions on border security and immigration policy.

In a letter to Majority Leader John Thune, the Democrats, led by Sen. Mark Kelly, said they and their Republican colleagues would best work together on the plan.

"We understand that Senate Republicans have discussed using the budget reconciliation process to advance border security budget measures without any Democratic input," they wrote.

"While that’s your right, in working together on a bipartisan basis, we can achieve the best outcome for the American people. There are also limitations to what can be done under budget reconciliation, and as we’ve seen time and time again, no party has all the solutions on this or any issue."

Democrats said there is a need for "strong, commonsense, and fair" immigration enforcement accompanied by the necessary resources to effectively secure the borders.

"That’s important for our national security and to support border states. We also see a need for a firm but fair immigration system that streamlines processes and better addresses our workforce needs," they added.