GANG OF 8 STRIKES BORDER DEAL

Early Thursday morning, the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” senators will announce an agreement to strengthen border security.

ABC News has confirmed that the Senate “Gang of Eight” has reached an agreement to strengthen border security provisions in their bill that they hope will deliver the 70 crucial votes needed for the measure.

According to a high ranking Senate aide, a formal announcement is expected Thursday morning.

A second capitol hill source tells ABC News the agreement will include a major border  build up, with a huge increase in border personnel and an increase in fencing.  The change will mean the legislation will deliver the 70 votes desired by the bipartisan group.

The four Republicans, Marco Rubio (Fla.), John McCain (Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and four Democrats, Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Bob Menendez (N.J.), Michael Bennet (Colo.), and Dick Durbin (Ill.), have been calling amendments that would require 700-miles of fencing and 100 percent operational control “non-starts” for the bill.

The bill, which has been debated on the Senate floor this week, has been met with resistance from Republicans who argued the border security measures were not strong enough and needed to be made a “trigger” before the undocumented could start down a pathway to citizenship. The pathway, Obama has said, is necessary for him to sign the bill into law.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/06/senate-agreement-to-bo...