15 APRIL 2021

Hub Highlights: Democrats Make Progress on Immigration, Republicans Double Down on Obstructionism

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, Representatives Steve Scalise, Devin Nunes and another group of House Republicans got their turn to ride the gunboat along the Rio Grande. This week, the charade continued with Rep. Scalise waving a milk carton declaring Vice President Kamala Harris “missing at the border” while on the same day she met with regional experts to talk about the root causes of migration. Echoing the Trump playbook of the past, Republicans have continued to advocate for cruel policies and arrange political stunts, distracting and dismissing their duties as members of Congress to deliver solutions long supported by the American public, such as moving forward legislation to create a new path to citizenship for Dreamers, farm workers, TPS-holders and other immigrant workers who have been critical to America’s recovery.

The Immigration Hub this week released a progress report on the Biden-Harris administration’s work to address and undo the Trump administration’s chaotic policies by advancing widely popular solutions to reunite families, manage the border and migration and advance humane policies. 

“While there is still much work to be done, the Biden administration has made great headway presenting solutions for some of the most pressing challenges to our immigration system,” said Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub. “We commend the progress already underway, especially the critical work led by Vice President Harris to address root causes of migration. This is proof that we can both do what is right at the border and what is right for immigrant communities. Congress has spent over $330 billion dollars on border security and enforcement while failing to pass permanent protections for undocumented communities. It is long overdue for Republicans to stop playing politics at the border and work with Democrats to rebuild our broken immigration system, including creating a new pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.”

The Highlights to Follow:

  • What’s really going on at the border: NowThis released a new video featuring the American Immigration Council’s Aaron Reichlin-Melnick dispelling common myths about the border and providing important context for Customs and Border Protection statistics on migrants seeking asylum.

  • Voters Trust Democrats on Immigration: According to a new poll from Politico and Morning Consult, voters trust Democrats to handle immigration by a 4 point margin over Republicans. The poll also found that a strong majority (69%) think that passing an immigration reform bill should be a priority for Congress.

  • Where is VP Harris? Busy working: Rep. Scalise carried around a milk carton to try and make the case that Vice President Harris wasn’t doing her job on immigration. So where was she? At the White House leading a meeting with experts on root causes of migration from Northern Triangle countries where she announced she would be traveling to Mexico and Guatemala to meet with leaders in the region. As part of this work, USAID recently announced $861 million in humanitarian assistance to address root causes of irregular migration from Central America and expand USAID’s support for programs that focus on anti-corruption, human rights, poverty reduction, economic growth, and violence prevention, including gender-based violence.

  • Administration refuses to turn away migrant children fleeing violence: The administration is utilizing FEMA’s expertise in humanitarian response to prepare over 13,300 beds and leverage almost 3,000 volunteers to welcome and care for unaccompanied children while HHS works to safely expedite their reunification with family or match them with a sponsor. The number of children in CBP custody has dropped 45% and is falling as more are transferred into HHS custody. As of Sunday, there were 3,130 children in the custody of CBP marking a drop from the peak of 5,767 on March 28, according to CNN. 

  • Building back a better immigration system: President Biden released his first budget request last week which included over two billion dollars in investments to make the immigration system more efficient and effective. Funding request includes:

    • $345 million to address naturalization and asylum case backlogs.

    • $891 million to hire more immigration judges to adjudicate the 1.3 million case backlog in the immigration courts.

    • $84 million over the 2021 enacted level for the Offices of Professional Responsibility at CBP and ICE to ensure that DHS workforce complaints are investigated expeditiously.

  • Democrats continue to address Trump’s extreme policies: The House Judiciary this week held a markup hearing and voted to advance the No Ban Act, a bill to prevent anyone from implementing Trump’s infamous Muslim Ban or African Ban ever again. The committee also passed the Access to Counsel Act, a bill to ensure certain people can consult with a lawyer when detained by immigration officials at ports of entry.

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.