The Congressional Budget Office might have inadvertently boosted a Republican effort to strengthen the border security provisions in the Senate immigration package.

The nonpartisan CBO, in its review of the “Gang of Eight” comprehensive reform legislation, predicted that the bill would reduce illegal immigration by just 25 percent compared to current law. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who with Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., is negotiating a bipartisan amendment to beef up the existing proposal’s border security measures, said CBO findings could be just what Republicans need to convince Democrats that tougher enforcement measures are needed.