House Republicans unveiled their new homeland security spending bill on Monday with enough money to fund 50,000 detention beds for migrants awaiting deportation.

That’s an increase over the current level of 41,500, and it’s double the 25,000 level that President Biden had been pushing for earlier in his administration.

The bill also includes new money for border wall construction, and would order Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to quit delaying construction and begin building immediately.

Republicans said the $4.1 billion dedicated in the bill to detention and deportation sets a new record.

“What’s happening at our southern border is dangerous, inhumane, and untenable, and this bill invests in a top-down approach to secure our nation, deter illegal immigration and prevent the flow of drugs into our country,” said Rep. Mark Amodei, Nevada Republican and chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees homeland security funding.

Detention beds are critical to combatting illegal immigration at the border. Experts say if migrants can be detained they can be removed — but if they are caught and released, ousting them later is rare, and the ease of remaining entices still more illegal immigrants to make the journey.

The bill is due for its first committee action on Tuesday. Senators have yet to release their own version of the homeland security spending bill.

House Republicans hope to use Congress’ power of the purse to upend the Biden administration’s more relaxed approach to border security and to restore some of the get-tough approach of former President Donald Trump, who left office with the most secure border in decades.

Among those prods are new money that Mr. Mayorkas would have to spend on the wall, and on signing cooperative agreements with state and local police departments that want to help deport migrants with criminal records. They are known as 287(g) agreements, and Mr. Mayorkas has put a hold on approving new ones.

The bill would eliminate funding the Biden administration uses to pay nongovernmental organizations and localities to welcome the migrants in their communities. It also reduces funding for catch-and-release programs.

House Democrats said the GOP bill was a political attack.

“House Republicans do not want to secure our border. They want to create chaos to score political points,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “House Democrats want to invest in effective strategies, but at every opportunity, Republicans turn their backs on real solutions and put politics over solving the border crisis.”

She said the GOP bill “deliberately forces chaos at the border and in cities across the country” by deleting the Shelter and Services Program, which is the money used to welcome and settle the migrants.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.