4 FEBRUARY 2024
Immigration Hub Responds to Senate Deal on Immigration and Border Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators released the details of a supplemental funding deal that pairs foreign aid with new sweeping border policies. The agreement curtails the use of release for many migrants at land ports, and includes a new expulsion authority that, when triggered at different thresholds, either allows or mandates the Department of Homeland Security Secretary to expel asylum seekers. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to bring the deal for a vote in the Senate this week.
Immigration Hub Executive Director Kerri Talbot issued the following statement in response:
“Thanks to the committed advocacy of individuals and organizations across the country, this legislation steers away from some of the most egregious, Trump-era policies initially considered–including family detention, the nationwide expansion of expedited deportations, and a full asylum ban. We are grateful to the tireless advocates who rallied week after week to remind lawmakers of the stakes involved when ineffective and cruel policies target immigrant communities.
“The deal announced today offers temporary measures for an immigration system in dire need of bold, lasting solutions that fully invest in the modernization of our border infrastructure and a path to citizenship for Dreamers and millions of hard-working immigrant families in our nation. If enacted, the bill would severely restrict the ability to seek asylum at the border of the United States.
“We urgently hope that bipartisan conversations will continue toward more comprehensive reform in the near future. It is imperative that we do not lose sight of what the majority of Americans, across the aisle, have consistently demanded – an immigration system that honors our promise to those fleeing persecution and meets the economic demands of the country and, above all, delivers a path to citizenship for Dreamers and long-settled immigrants in the U.S. The decades-long wait by Dreamers and hard-working immigrants is a broken promise at the center of a broken system and divided Congress.
“Time is running out. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program faces imminent termination at the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court while the GOP presidential frontrunner has promised to detain and deport immigrants en masse if elected. Even now, Donald Trump and GOP extremists in Congress are working in lock-step to blunt the bipartisan bill and continue to weaponize immigration in the elections. They aren’t interested in solutions that reflect the best of our nation’s values, the spirit of bipartisanship, or that solve the cracks in our immigration system.
“Until there is political will and compassionate sensibility among all lawmakers who acknowledge that immigration is integral to our country’s economic and cultural success, President Biden and his administration must act within their authority to work with governors, mayors, local officials and NGOs to resettle migrants, deliver lawful opportunities to Dreamers and immigrant families to adjust their status, and defiantly counter the cruelty of Trump and political instigators, such Texas Governor Abbott, who are dangerously peddling lies and using immigrants as political pawns.”
The bill establishes a new expulsion authority that, after a certain number of encounters at the border, will block asylum between ports of entry. At the same time, this new trigger process may have unintended consequences of incentivizing cartels to rush the border when border encounters decrease. Implementation of the new policy depends on bilateral cooperation with Mexico which is also facing historic migration pressures. The bill will also prohibit the use of parole at land ports limiting the Department’s ability to allow many vulnerable migrants to be processed in the U.S. We are encouraged that 50,000 more people will be granted family and employment visas under the deal, in addition to expedited work authorization for those in asylum proceedings, permanent residency for Afghan evacuees, and increased access to legal status for the children of H-1b visa holders.
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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.