In , Speaker John Boehner was facing significant intra-party infighting, largely due to the growing voice of the Tea Party activists in his conference—a group that would contribute to his historic resignation just two years later.
To please the hard-liners in his party he rejected the Senate bill in favor of a series of smaller bills and then, when suspicion was that these smaller bills would go to conference with the hated Senate bill, he had to promise not to compromise.
And then, as is so often the case in politics, something happened that on the face of it had nothing to do with immigration reform but that killed it nonetheless. Majority Leader Eric Cantor, widely expected to succeed Boehner as speaker, lost his Republican primary to a right-wing tea party supporter who among other things campaigned on opposition to immigration reform. If a member of the leadership could lose to an unknown Tea Party challenger, they could too.
Boehner never brought the legislation to the floor, in spite of the fact that it probably could have passed with a united Democratic caucus and some more moderate business-oriented Republicans.
Immigration reform has always had a way of eluding the best-laid plans of powerful people. The Republican Party is still in limbo, with many members clearly anti-immigrant and others fearful of an anti-immigrant primary electorate.
Immigration reform may be as difficult in the third decade of the 21 st century as it was in the first and second. This is in part because of a fundamental paradox.
On the one hand, the United States is a country of immigrants; on the other hand, it is a country that has always been worried about being overrun by immigrants.
And this makes reform especially difficult. Graham Jr. But that coalition never happened. FixGov 5 lessons from election night Elaine Kamarck. FixGov Have Democrats become a party of the left? Galston and Elaine Kamarck. Related Topics th U. The bills narrowly addressed immigrant populations perceived as sympathetic by at least some members of both parties. In April, Cornyn and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, introduced a bipartisan bill to revamp the way that migrants are processed at the border.
It would also create four regional processing centers to house migrants arriving on the border that would effectively function as detention centers. The Afghanistan crisis has also recently provided an opportunity for bipartisan action on immigration. Though some in the Republican Party have objected to the resettlement of Afghans in the US, members of both parties rushed to pass legislation speeding up efforts to process Afghans who aided the year US war effort, increasing the number of available visas for them and easing some of the eligibility requirements.
The July vote in the House was Democrats could try to harness some of the energy around resettling Afghans and use it to advocate for other similarly vulnerable groups of immigrants.
That was considered a major flaw of the law, which failed to resolve the challenge of unauthorized immigration for good, given that the undocumented population in the US has more than quadrupled in the intervening years. To pass that kind of forward-looking legislation, Democrats need to get 60 votes in the Senate.
For the foreseeable future without filibuster reform , that means getting 10 Republicans to sign on. Noorani said he believes that the way to do that is to make a shrewd economic and demographic argument for immigration, particularly at a local level. Economists broadly agree that population growth fuels economic growth in wealthy countries. But the US is seeing dramatic decreases in population growth, and some parts of the US are already beginning to experience some of the downsides : Shrinking tax bases in rural areas have made it harder for government budgets to support essential services, such as infrastructure and public schools.
As population growth slows, the pressure for cuts will likely grow. Meanwhile, the existing population continues to age; by , the Census Bureau estimates that one in five US residents will be of retirement age.
Democrats could, and should, do far more to harness this case for immigration, particularly to sway Republicans representing conservative rural districts, as well as those sensitive to the needs of small businesses. In recent years, the GOP has worked to position itself as the party with greater insight into what is good for the US economy — from advocating for personal and corporate tax cuts during the Trump administration to more recently issuing warnings about federal spending in the Biden administration.
Citizenship Act of , a long-promised immigration reform bill. But any legislative action on comprehensive immigration reform will face significant headwinds in the Senate, says Lauren R. Lauren R. Aronson , an associate clinical professor of law and the director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law, spoke with News Bureau business and law editor Phil Ciciora about the legislative prospects of passing comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform.
The more realistic opportunity in the current political climate would be fixing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program via legislation. Even in cities hit hard by the loss of manufacturing jobs, immigrants are a key driver of entrepreneurship and population growth.
According to a report by the New American Economy, from to , immigrants accounted for Immigrants are bringing new life to local economies—starting businesses, paying taxes, and spending their dollars back into their new communities. The U. Trump has diverted money to terrorize immigrant families, even as CBP facilities at the border are overwhelmed. CBP officers in the field, who are neither trained nor equipped for this work, are shouldering outsized responsibility for managing this crisis.
And through his Migrant Protection Protocol policies, Trump has effectively closed our country to asylum seekers, forcing them instead to choose between waiting in dangerous situations, vulnerable to exploitation by cartels and other bad actors, or taking a risk to try crossing between the ports of entry. The worst place to deal with irregular migration is at our own border.
The best way to solve this challenge is to address the underlying violence, instability, and lack of opportunity that is compelling people to leave their homes in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in the first place. As Vice President, Biden was the architect of a major program of U. As president, Biden will pursue a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the security and prosperity of Central America in partnership with the people of the region that :.
Like every nation, the U. But we know that immigrants and immigrant communities are not a threat to our security, and the government should never use xenophobia or fear tactics to scare voters for political gain. Today, illicit drugs are most likely to be smuggled through one of the legal U.
They are hidden among commercial cargo in semi-trucks or in a hidden compartment of a passenger vehicle. A wall is not a serious deterrent for sophisticated criminal organizations that employ border tunnels, semi-submersible vessels, and aerial technology to overcome physical barriers at the border— or even for individuals with a reciprocating saw.
We need smart, sensible policies that will actually strengthen our ability to catch these real threats by improving screening procedures at our legal ports of entry and investing in new technology. The border between Mexico and the U. Together we can make Donald Trump a one term President and defeat Republicans across the country. Donate today:. Skip to Main Content.
But the Trump Administration has worked against this tradition to drastically restrict access to asylum in the U. End the mismanagement of the asylum system, which fuels violence and chaos at the border.
It has created a horrifying ecosystem of violence and exploitation, with cartels kidnapping, violently assaulting, and extorting migrants. Biden will direct the necessary resources to ensure asylum applications are processed fairly and efficiently, while treating families and children with compassion and sensitivity.
Surge humanitarian resources to the border and foster public-private initiatives. Humanitarian needs are best met through a network of organizations, such as faith-based shelters, non-governmental aid organizations, legal non-profits, and refugee assistance agencies working together. Biden will dramatically increase U. End prolonged detention and reinvest in a case management program.
The Trump Administration has sought to circumvent the Flores agreement and hold children in detention indefinitely. But proven alternatives to detention and non-profit case management programs, which support migrants as they navigate their legal obligations, are the best way to ensure that they attend all required immigration appointments.
These programs also enable migrants to live in dignity and safety while awaiting their court hearings—facilitating things like doctor visits, social services, and school enrollment for children. Evidence shows that these programs are highly effective and are far less expensive and punitive than detaining families. Biden will codify protections to safeguard children to make sure their treatment is consistent with their best interest and invest in community-based case management programs, including those supported by faith-based organizations such as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, to move migrants into safe environments as quickly as possible.
End the so-called National Emergency that siphons federal dollars from the Department of Defense to build a wall. Building a wall will do little to deter criminals and cartels seeking to exploit our borders. Instead of stealing resources from schools for military children and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, Biden will direct federal resources to smart border enforcement efforts, like investments in improving screening infrastructure at our ports of entry, that will actually keep America safer.
Protect Dreamers and their families. DACA provided young people who passed a background check and application process with temporary work permits and protection from deportation. The Trump Administration made the cruel and counterproductive decision to terminate DACA, throwing into turmoil the lives of millions of Dreamers. Dreamers and their parents should have a roadmap to citizenship through legislative immigration reform.
But in the meantime, Biden will remove the uncertainty for Dreamers by reinstating the DACA program, and h e will explore all legal options to protect their families from inhumane separation. Prohibiting Muslims from entering the country is morally wrong, and there is no intelligence or evidence that suggests it makes our nation more secure.
It is yet another abuse of power by the Trump Administration designed to target primarily black and brown immigrants. Restore sensible enforcement priorities. Targeting people who have never been convicted of a serious criminal offense and who have lived, worked, and contributed to our economy and our communities for decades is the definition of counterproductive.
Biden will direct enforcement efforts toward threats to public safety and national security, while ensuring that individuals are treated with the due process to which they are entitled and their human rights are protected. He will also protect sensitive locations from immigration enforcement actions.
No one should be afraid to seek medical attention, go to school, their job, or their place of worship for fear of an immigration enforcement action. Under a Biden Administration, there will be responsible, Senate-confirmed professionals leading these agencies, and they will answer directly to the president. Protect and expand opportunities for people who risked their lives in military service.
Biden will not target the men and women who served in uniform, or their families, for deportation. He will also direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to create a parole process for veterans deported by the Trump Administration, to reunite them with their families and military colleagues in the U.
0コメント