3 JAN 2024
New Year, Same Bad Policies: Lawmakers Continue to Demand Trump Policies as Ransom for Ukraine Funding
According to an analysis by FWD.us, the nationwide expansion of expedited removal could impact nearly 1 in 10 people in the U.S., leading to “the deportation of long-term undocumented immigrants and bringing devastating consequences to families with undocumented family members.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As discussions over immigration policy continue in Congress, leaving the fate of foreign aid hanging in the balance, GOP lawmakers are refusing to budge on hardline demands. GOP lawmakers in Congress continue to hold aid for Ukraine hostage in exchange for H.R. 2, the extreme House Republican border legislation. One harsh policy proposal under discussion is the nationwide expansion of expedited removal, which would authorize deportations while denying immigrants due process protections. In a letter sent to Democratic members of Congress last month, a coalition of immigration and progressive advocates including FWD.us, UnidosUS, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the Immigration Hub outlined the expansive impacts of the policy on mixed-status families across the U.S.
“Today, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and 60 other Republican lawmakers will visit the southern border and ‘pontificate’ about the need for border security, all while refusing to acknowledge the President’s existing $14 billion request for just that, ” said Kerri Talbot, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub. “Republicans are clearly bringing their intransigence into the new year; they don’t really want border security, they want chaos and red meat for their extreme base. Democrats should reject their out of touch and unreasonable immigration demands. You can’t meet extremists halfway. The GOP will continue to move the goal post because they don’t actually want to make a deal.”
Expanding the scope of the expedited removal authority, which is currently limited to immigration officers at the border, would put over 30 million people in mixed-status families across the U.S. at risk. In some cases, like in California and Florida, the data show up to 15% of a state’s total population could potentially be subject to harmful expedited removal searches–regardless of citizenship status. The groups urge lawmakers to reject any deal that includes a permanent expansion of this authority or others that would harm immigrant communities.
Find the full letter here and excerpts below:
“Expedited Removal gives broad authority to an immigration officer to deport migrants who would have no access to due process protections such as the right to an attorney or hearing before a judge. It would effectively be a nationwide “show-me-your-papers” law, meaning members of our community will have to carry proof of their own continuous residency in case they encounter immigration enforcement. Expedited Removal currently applies to individuals who enter our border without being admitted or paroled, or if they are apprehended within two weeks of entering the U.S. without authorization and encountered within 100 miles of U.S. borders. The proposal on the table would expand this authority nationwide. Under Expedited Removal, the individual has the burden of proof while also having no right to counsel, no right to a hearing, and no right to appeal an adverse ruling.”
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“The devastating and detrimental impact of deportations to families is well documented to severely harm mental health and financial well-being. A ‘mixed-status family’ is a family whose members include people with different citizenship or immigration statuses. One example of a mixed-status family is one in which the parents are undocumented and the children are U.S.-born citizens. Another example is when a U.S. citizen marries an undocumented immigrant who is prevented from accessing legal pathways to a green card. A 2018 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that when a family member was deported the family faced sudden and severe financial hardship, anxiety and depression. Children’s school performance declined,” Children became sad and anxious, crying and frequently asking for the missing family member.” Several studies confirm the far-reaching consequences of deportations to families, including American Immigration Council, Urban Institute, Center for American Progress, Migration Policy Institute.”
“Millions of Americans in mixed-status families could be impacted by an expansive new deportation authority. Nearly 1 in 10 of the U.S. population impacted; about 1 in 6 in California, some 30 million people according to an analysis by FWD.us.”
Find the full letter here.
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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.