13 DEC 2023

ICYMI: Immigration Hub Memo to White House Warns Against Concessions to GOP Immigration Demands

“Conceding to these demands would have immense and detrimental consequences on critical battleground voters, including Latinos, Independents and the base.”

To read the full memo, click here.

WASHINGTON – As first reported in Playbook, the Immigration Hub sent a memo to the White House yesterday warning the Biden-Harris administration against making extreme concessions on immigration policy in exchange for foreign aid, outlining the “immense” electoral consequences of accepting radical GOP demands ahead of 2024.

“The proposed policies are abhorrent for our nation. They weren’t acceptable under Trump and they aren’t acceptable now under a president who vowed to revoke the destructive policies of the past. This is a new low for lawmakers, and no Democrat should support the White House’s concessions to Republicans who are rabidly seeking to close our borders, keep Latino and Black migrants out, and deport as many immigrants as possible. Our nation doesn’t turn its back on working families and those yearning to be free and safe, and that’s what the American electorate expects of our leaders–stand for our values and deliver solutions, not cruelty and chaos. Less than a year away from November 2024, Democrats would be wise to do right by the American people,” said Beatriz Lopez, Deputy Director of the Immigration Hub.

The “extreme and alarming” demands put forth by Republicans, which the majority of American voters strongly oppose, would reinstate cruel Trump-era policies that severely restrict asylum and put millions of immigrants settled throughout the U.S. at risk of deportation. If such policies are enacted, the memo warns, President Biden would likely see a deficit in support among critical battleground voters in 2024. The memo encourages the administration to instead pursue a voter-aligned agenda that combines humane, orderly border security measures, like those proposed in the President’s own $14 billion supplemental funding request, with affirmative relief for immigrants already settled in the U.S.

Below are excerpts from the memo sent to the White House:

“The majority of voters in America are pro-immigrant and pro-orderliness – not for separating families, deporting long-settled immigrants or ending our asylum system. Yet currently, Republicans in Congress are demanding extreme and alarming immigration policy proposals in exchange for Ukraine aid. Most of these proposals are part of what Republican candidate Donald Trump has promised to deliver if re-elected. Conceding to these demands would have immense and detrimental consequences on critical battleground voters, including Latinos, Independents and the base. Not only would Democratic support of these policies depress the vote, but it would also lay out a path forward to separate families, deport Dreamers and long-settled immigrants, and cause irreparable, lasting damage to our immigration system. In response to Trumpʼs recent remarks to expand his anti-immigrant agenda, the Biden-Harris campaign pledged it would go on offense and underscore the threat that Trump presents to American democracy, our immigration system and American communities, including Latinos and immigrants. Accepting GOP demands is accepting a deficit in support for President Biden in 2024…

As included in the Administrationʼs budget supplemental regarding border security, President Biden and Congress are ready to invest $14 billion in enhanced border security, efficient asylum processing, enhanced drug interdiction and robust support for receiving communities. By combining these border security measures with an affirmative agenda that provides relief to immigrants here today, the Administration can speak to the majority of Americans who strongly favor such a balanced approach.

Without affirmative relief for settled immigrants working in America, the Administration is fronting for an enforcement-only agenda advanced for decades by right-wing Republicans, which has incredibly low support among battleground voters. Accepting GOP demands is accepting a deficit in support for President Biden in 2024. The American electorate is not demanding our leaders fix our immigration system with extreme, un-democratic and harmful policies, but rather reasonable and humane reforms – thatʼs the reason they elected President Biden over Trump in 2020. The Biden-Harris campaignʼs advantage is their ability to contrast their wins for all working families, such as TPS for Venezuelans and other nationals, reuniting families, and legal pathways, against the dark vision of America that Trump has to offer.”

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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