I’m not sure why anyone in the GOP would discuss any type of immigration reform when Biden is looking to make the border wide open, and you know that any deal will be just like the ones in the past: amnesty, oh, sorry, pathways to easy, free citizenship, messaging that entices people to stream into the U.S., with promises for border security that never materialize
Senators to restart bipartisan immigration reform talks
A bipartisan group of senators want to start formally convening meetings to try to restart immigration reform efforts after the Senate returns to Washington, D.C., from an April break.
A bipartisan immigration deal appears to be congressional Democrats’ best hope of making good on their pledge to reform immigration, after Democrats’ attempts to go it alone as part of a sweeping bill unraveled last year. They would face a significant uphill climb getting such a reform deal heading into the November election, where Republicans plan to make the issue a key line of attack.
But Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told The Hill that they want to bring together a group of senators interested in trying to revive immigration discussions — a perennial policy white whale for Congress — after a two-week recess.
It’s very simple: we do not need new legislation. Enforce the existing laws on the books. Secure the border. Catch illegals. Give them a quick asylum hearing. If they do not qualify, deport immediately. If they blew off their previous hearing, having disappeared into the nation after their first catch and release, deport immediately.
The group’s effort is the latest in recent years to try to figure out how to get a deal on immigration reform that could pass both the House and Senate — efforts to do so have previously failed.
The Senate passed a bill in 2013 in a 68-32 vote that would have paired border security, overhauling immigration laws and creating a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants if they can meet certain benchmarks.
That deal did, really, give those pathways to citizenship for security that would never happen. GOP got played.
Republicans moved further to the right on immigration under then-President Trump, who took a hard line against immigration, sparked a weeks-long partial government shutdown as part of a fight to get more funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall, placed significant limits on the ability to seek asylum and sparked backlash from Democrats, advocates and human rights groups over its detention centers for undocumented immigrants.
It’s a hard line to enforce the Constitutional provision to defend the U.S. from foreign invasion? To enforce existing law passed by the duly elected legislative branch?
Democrats also faced multiple setbacks last year after the parliamentarian warned that three immigration proposals didn’t comply with the budget rules for inclusion in a sweeping climate and social spending package that Democrats could have passed without GOP support. That package, known as Build Back Better, ultimately unraveled late last year.
Yeah, it was pretty much pure amnesty. Republicans who fall for this schtick are idiots.
Tillis, meanwhile, is urging the group to “think big and then from that try to come up with bipartisan consensus.”
“The only way that we’re going to get real progress is have a four pillar discussion — so immigration reform, DACA, border security and then I think asylum reform is pretty important particularly with that’s going on with Title 42,” Tillis said.
Immigration reform is code for amnesty. DACA? It will simply be amnesty, for the parents and relatives as well. Here’s what I wrote in 2017
Here’s a recommendation: Congress puts DACA into law, but allows 4 year renewals, rather than 2 years, in order to decrease burden on federal agencies. Just like with people who are applying for citizenship, any serious crimes can be cause to cancel an illegals legal status and deport them. And, yes, even DUIs may be considered cause, just like with those applying for citizenship. After 12 years, they can go through the same process as those applying for citizenship in order to attempt to earn full citizenship.
BUT, if we aren’t going to lay the sin of the parent(s) on the children, we are going to lay them on the parent(s). In order to obtain DACA status, the parent(s) must self deport, and provide proof at an immigration checkpoint as they leave. They are not allowed back in the United States for 2 years, and then only for a short visit. If they are caught residing in the U.S., or attempting to enter the country illegally, the children will have their DACA status ended and will be deported. After 12 years, they would be allowed to apply for temporary resident status, conditioned on speaking English and having good moral character. This seems fair. The parents broke our laws.
If you don’t agree with punishing the parents, then you’re simply using DACA to create a backdoor amnesty for all.
That’s fair.
Border security? You know it would be simply a promise to Do Something in the future that never happens. Asylum reform? That would be great. Require asylum seekers to go to U.S. offices in other countries, not show up and demand it, after which they are released with a promise to appear that they blow off. Of course, that’s not what’s going to be in any bill. They’ll expand asylum and make it easier.
If the GOP goes forward with essentially Democrat asylum plans they’re going to have a tough time in the mid-terms, which is probably why Democrats want to push this now.
