Immigration activist groups and some pro-immigrant dovish figures in Congress have denounced the new immigration and border deal in the Senate, further narrowing the chances of passage of an already rocky deal.
Senate negotiators announced an $118 billion additional spending deal late Sunday, including funding for Ukraine and Israel and $20 billion for border and immigration issues. There is.
This includes new border authorities that allow Title 42-style deportations when immigration levels exceed 5,000 people per day on a seven-day rolling average, narrowing asylum eligibility while expediting the process. , providing additional work permits to asylum seekers and funding a major increase in staffing.
Sen. Bob Menendez, who led the push for the Biden administration’s 2021 immigration reform bill, said the bill announced Sunday is unacceptable. (Getty Images)
5 key details of the controversial Senate border agreement
The bill faces significant opposition from conservatives, including in the Republican-controlled House. Lawmakers say the deal will normalize high levels of illegal immigration while funding non-governmental organizations and providing legal aid to illegal immigrants.
But this has upset many on the left, with immigration activists saying it harms immigrants without providing relief, and that activists who came to this country as minors have not given their names. “This includes any form of amnesty for those already in the country, including the illegal immigrants mentioned above.” Hey dreamers! ”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has led numerous lawsuits challenging immigration policies, including Title 42, said the agreement “forces governments to immediately expel people from the border without due process, “It limits legal recourse for people who need it.” largely. ”
Sen. Bob Menendez (DN.J.) stands at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“Eliminating long-standing core due process protections, such as court review of asylum cases, and reinforcing harmful deterrence and detention policies will not get cities and states the support they need, nor will border control “It’s not a substitute for policies that improve immigration and border control. It’s a backlog of immigration cases,” said Executive Director Anthony Romero. “The deal also fails to deliver on long-standing promises to enact reforms that would provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers and other longtime residents.”
The U.S. Immigration Council said bipartisan efforts to address “unsustainable” conditions at the border are a “major step forward,” but it is dissatisfied with the results.
“Unfortunately, while this bill identifies many of the important issues that need to be addressed to more effectively manage our southern border, it is incomplete in some respects and incomplete in others,” said Executive Director Jeremy Robbins. “It would be unnecessarily harmful in terms of
Republican senators call for ‘sufficient time’ to consider border security bill
“This bill includes an overall increase in green cards, increased government funding to provide legal representation for unaccompanied children, and an age limit for children of parents stuck on a long-term employment basis. It includes a series of positive measures, such as protections for the plight of Dreamers and others who have been forced to live in the shadows for far too long, including migrant backlogs and a path to citizenship in ally Afghanistan. “There is silence on how to deal with it,” he said. “And a key proposal to address the increase in border arrivals – immediate expulsion of individuals seeking humanitarian protection – has proven to be a harmful and counterproductive policy under the Trump and Biden administrations. It’s an approach.”
Migrants attempt to reach the U.S. border seeking humanitarian asylum in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on January 17, 2024. (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Human Rights First accused the U.S. government of “politics that threatens the lives of refugees and other immigrants.”
“Our government leaders need to stop viewing our borders as a numbers game. There’s no denying that, and the partisan posturing and political maneuvering that’s going on in Washington isn’t helping us,” CEO Michael Breen said.
Meanwhile, senators who have advocated for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants were also outraged by the bill. Sen. Bob Menendez (D.N.J.), who led the push for the Biden administration’s 2021 immigration reform bill, called the bill unacceptable.
“So-called ‘bipartisan’ border negotiations in the Senate resulted in an unacceptable agreement. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus were told they would have an opportunity to provide meaningful input before the deal was finalized. But Senate leadership brazenly ignored that agreement’s commitment,” he said. “They expect us to abide by an agreement that directly impacts millions of people in our communities and forever reshapes America’s immigration system.”
“Accepting this agreement as written would be a complete betrayal of the communities we are sworn to protect and represent,” he said. “Democrats would be furious if these changes were being considered under the Trump administration, but we want to win elections, so we realize that Latinos and immigrants are now standing on the sacrificial altar. ing.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said the bill “misses the mark.”
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He also criticized Trump for reinstating Trump-era policies and failing to provide “relief” to undocumented immigrants already in the United States.
“It is important to support our allies to protect our democracies and provide humanitarian relief, but not at the expense of dismantling our asylum system without ultimately reducing challenges at our borders.”
The positions of the lawmakers and groups are at odds with the Biden administration, where President Biden, Vice President Harris and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have been pushing for the bill to be passed.
