The crisis at the border isn’t getting any clearer.

In December the Border Patrol made nearly 250,000 arrests, breaking previous records.

Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts telling NCN today that this is all on the White House.

Sen. Pete Ricketts, Nebraska (R): “Customs and Border protection also arrested nineteen people on the FBI's terror watch list. That brings the total number of such encounters to 50 just since October. That number used to be in single digits for an entire year. The Biden Administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws.”

Joe Jordan, NCN: “President Biden has said ok his deal and he’ll close the border. Isn’t that what you want the border shut down?”

Sen. Ricketts: “Well the fundamental thing he said there is a bunch of hooey because the President could shut down the border right now if he wanted to. He has the tools to be able to do it. President Trump demonstrated that he could do it. President Biden has the same tools available to him. He could do the exact same thing. So, it's very disingenuous of the President to say oh pass my border bill and I'll shut down the border he could do it right now.”

As we reported earlier Ricketts is demanding 72 hours to review any spending/border deal before a vote. It’s spelled out in a letter to Majority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, signed by 9 other GOP Senators.

Ricketts' move coming as reports surface that former President Donald Trump is telling Republicans to oppose the deal so he can continue to campaign on the issue.

Former President Donald Trump: "We're going to stop cold the invasion on our border. That's an invasion on our southern border."

Jordan: “There are reports that former President Trump is telling Republicans not to vote for the deal, because he wants to campaign on it in the fall. Isn’t that the ultimate swamp deal?”

Sen. Ricketts: “Well, I don't have a personal knowledge of that. President Trump hasn't talked to me about that so you have to ask somebody who's had a conversation with President Trump because he hasn't told me that I haven't had any conversations with him.”

But some Republicans are on the record noting the Trump directive.

Sen. Mitt Romney, Utah (R):  "I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump. And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and Congress people that he doesn't want us to solve the border problem, because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling."

Sen. Todd Young / (R) Indiana: “Anything that interrupts that negotiation, I think would be tragic.”

Meanwhile, the Ricketts letter also demands an “all-Senators meeting” with administration officials to go over the deal, a deal that is clearly in jeopardy.