Sen. Mike Braun rejects criticism for blocking bipartisan border security bill in Indiana governor GOP debate.

Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) rejected criticism in Indiana’s Republican gubernatorial primary debate Tuesday night for not supporting the bipartisan border security bill — and didn't directly answer when asked whether he would support state resources going toward a possible nationwide effort to deport migrants.

“I think you could look at what governors did do something about it. Gov. DeSantis in Florida, a governor in Texas. They are at the leading edge of it,” Braun said after the debate moderator asked him the question.

Braun then didn't specifically address whether he would commit Indiana resources to any national deportation efforts, instead responding to comments from his fellow Republican primary candidates, who criticized the senator for inaction on the border despite the U.S. Senate introducing a bipartisan border security bill late last year. A number of Senate Republicans had supported the bill, until pushback from former president Donald Trump caused many to abandon it.

“The naïveté about what Mr. [Brad] Chambers said is that any bill would have to be brought forth by a Schumer Senate. That's not going to happen, and the bill that was crafted was never going to do anything,” Braun said. “That was going to baseline the illegal immigration at eight to ten times what it was under Trump. It's very clear. It's the same legislative template that was in place for Trump when we had record-low immigration, and Biden undid all of it. And a bill, unless a guy like Schumer is going to bring it forward, it's not going to work. You need to learn how that works in the U.S. government.”