Pathways to citizenship and other legalization for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. remain a priority for the Biden administration and many Democrats, even amid a record crisis at the southern border. be.
The issue was raised during important talks between the United States and Mexico in Mexico City this week, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
In a broader debate on the immigration crisis, countries said they discussed the “benefits” of “regularizing” undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for years, including those who were taken into custody in 2012. Deferred action for the arrival of children (DACA) – Executive order signed by President Barack Obama. It protects some illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States as minors.
Illegal immigrant population surges under Biden administration: government data
“Delegates also discussed the benefits of regularizing the status of Hispanic immigrants who have been in the country illegally for several years and DACA recipients, who are an important part of the U.S. economy and society,” the joint statement said. He added that the delegation would hold a meeting. See you in January.
The statement's inclusion during a month of record numbers of encounters at the southern border drew immediate ire from House Republicans.
Migrants line up after being detained by U.S. immigration authorities at the border wall, seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
“At a time when America is experiencing the worst border crisis in our nation's history, it is disrespectful to hear the Biden administration's announcement that Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken have discussed amnesty for illegal immigrants with the President of Mexico,” said House of Representatives Mike Johnson. Chairman (R-Laminated): “The United States must focus on policies that deter, not attract, the people who seek to enter here illegally and the smugglers who profit from the catastrophe at our border.” said.
“This development further demonstrates that the administration has no real intention to resolve the humanitarian disaster and looming national security crisis caused by its policies. We must take immediate action to stem the flow of illegal immigration to the United States. Our national security and sovereignty depend on it, and the American people demand it.”
But the Biden administration has made no secret of its desire to grant legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants. On its first day in office, the administration announced a sweeping immigration reform bill that included an eight-year path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Biden talks amnesty with Mexico; number of border crossings breaks monthly record in December
It also included immediate green cards for undocumented immigrant farmworkers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
Since then, the Biden administration has pushed the bill through Congress to fix what it claims is a “broken” immigration system, even as the border crisis has raged for nearly three years. He has repeatedly touted it as an example of the bill he wants.
But under the Biden administration, the number of illegal immigrants has exploded. The number of undocumented immigrants on non-custodial records alone jumped from 3.7 million in 2021 to more than 6 million in 2023, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report released Friday. did.
This means the prospects for some form of pardon are likely to be less favorable for Republicans now than in 2021.
Many Democrats also share the administration's goal of giving undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship.
Migration negotiations between the U.S. and Mexico also included the benefit of “controlling” illegal immigrants living in the U.S.
Democrats in both houses of Congress have proposed pardons this year. Most recently, Senate Democrats said that changes to the asylum system demanded by Republicans as part of any supplemental funding deal must be combined with the legalization of undocumented immigrants.
“Any proposal that considers permanent changes to our nation's asylum and immigration system must include a clear path to legalization for long-time undocumented immigrants,” the lawmakers said.
“We remain committed to working in good faith, on a bipartisan basis and through a deliberative process, to modernize our outdated immigration system,” they added. “Increasing legal channels for immigration, without legalizing the longstanding undocumented immigrants who put food on our tables, care for our elderly, and form the fabric of our communities. , we cannot truly secure our borders and help American communities.”
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The call comes as the United States continues to grapple with a historic immigration crisis at the border. Fox News reported Saturday that the country has encountered 286,000 migrants at the southern border so far in December, setting a new record for monthly encounters. This is a record-setting number of 2.4 million migrants encountered in all of 2023.
FOX News' Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
