5 JAN 2024
ICYMI: Mayors, Former ICE Chief of Staff, and Trump Voters Call Out GOP’s “Nightmare” Immigration Agenda And Emphasize Need for Sensible Border Security and Welcoming Immigrants to U.S. Cities in Need
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Republicans continue their attempt to codify harmful, Trump-era immigration policies through supplemental negotiations, current and former government officials are making their message clear: immigrants make America stronger. Even voters in Iowa, who supported Donald Trump in prior elections, call his anti-immigrant rhetoric “offensive” and urge lawmakers to expand legal pathways for immigrants. Yet GOP lawmakers refuse to consider a $14 billion request from President Biden for border security, asylum processing, regional initiatives, and support for receiving communities throughout the U.S. The swell of support for humane and orderly immigration policy continues steadily rising as it becomes increasingly clear that, as Democratic strategist Maria Cardona puts it, Republicans are not willing to “cut their hypocrisy.”
In Pennsylvania, Erie Mayor Joe Schember and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey are welcoming immigrants with open arms and encouraging individuals to settle in their cities. Over the last ten years, Erie has sworn in more than 3,300 new citizens from 110 countries around the world–and that’s only the start. Schember sees continued immigration as integral to the state’s “rich cultural diversity” and “abundance of good, family-sustaining jobs.” Gainey agrees, arguing that the city could not thrive without immigrants. In August, Schember and Gainey joined four other Pennsylvania mayors in a letter urging President Biden to extend protections to undocumented individuals and families long-settled in the U.S.
The Hill: “The GOP’s border proposals are a human trafficker’s dream”
In an op-ed, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Chief of Staff Jason Houser calls out the “nightmare” policies being demanded by GOP lawmakers in exchange for foreign aid. Houser argues that the nation’s immigration system must be resourced, not gutted. He points out that current GOP proposals would pull resources away from critical operations, including drug and human trafficking interdiction, in order to “severely restrict the right to seek asylum, fast-track deportations nationwide and require the detention of families and children seeking refuge.” Houser calls these failed, Trump-era policies “anti-law enforcement,” and emphasizes that their enactment would virtually break the immigration process.
PBS NewsHour: “NYC looks to amend right to shelter rule amid migrant surge” and “MYTHBUSTING: Amid Rising Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, Comptroller Lander Unveils Fact Sheet on How Immigrants Benefit New York City”
As cities across the country continue to welcome newly arrived immigrants, right-wing actors are intent on spreading hateful rhetoric and fear-mongering against those seeking safety in the U.S. In New York City, Comptroller Brad Lander is looking to bust anti-immigrant myths and instead uplift the “economic boon of immigration, the right to seek asylum & history of migration.” Not only is immigration lawful, he says, but immigrants–regardless of status–strengthen the economy as workers, taxpayers, and consumers. He calls on the federal government to not only provide more resources for shelter, case management, and other basic supports, but also to continue expanding legal pathways that allow immigrants to work. Lander says, “Rather than shutting the door on new New Yorkers, our City, State, and federal government must work together to keep the tradition of embracing immigration.”
CNN's Gary Tuchman spoke with voters in Iowa who rely on immigrant labor to run their businesses and asked their thoughts on Donald Trump’s recent comments suggesting that immigrants are “destroying the blood” of America. The voters, who previously supported Trump in prior elections, call his remarks “offensive” and reminiscent of Nazi-era ideology. They go on to say that immigrants are “great contributors” to the country and a “necessity” to the agricultural workforce, calling on lawmakers to expand legal pathways allowing immigrants to live and work in the U.S.
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