The bill drew praise from right-of-center organizations that had opposed Trump's immigration policy, like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but disdain from groups like the ACLU, who called it an effort "to short-circuit due process."
The bill would create structures for surge staffing at the border, while increasing access to legal and translation services for asylum seekers, but it would also expand the role of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in asylum determinations.
"We're trying to do this in a more of a middle of the road [bill], which means the far left and the far right are not going to like it," Cuéllar told The Hill.