Hispanic Congressmembers are pressuring President Joe Biden to reject the immigration plan proposed by Republicans which emulates Trump-era policy.
Senator Alex Padilla, D-California, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Security, and Representative Nanette Barragán, D-California, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), issued a joint statement, saying the proposed legislation would modify asylum application rules, reduce deportation protections and increase deportations.
Asylum Ban
“We are deeply concerned that the president is considering promoting Trump-era immigration policies that Democrats fought hard against (and that he himself campaigned against),” wrote Padilla and Barragan. “Caving in to demands for these permanent and damaging policy changes as the ‘price to pay’ for a one-time, unrelated spending package would set a dangerous precedent.”
The reference is the $106 billion that President Biden has requested as complementary aid for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, which also includes about $14 billion to reinforce border security.
“President Biden knows that this is not what Democrats defend,” Padilla and Barragán noted. “During his 2020 campaign, [Biden] promised to restore our nation’s ‘moral standing in the world and our historic role as a refuge for refugees and asylum seekers.’ It is inconceivable that the president would consider breaking his word by enacting what amounts to a ban on seeking asylum.”
Immigrant Persecution
Padilla and Barragán insist that the Republican plans would expand the persecution of immigrants in the United States.
“Terrorizing communities across the United States by expanding expedited deportation and ignoring our international obligations to provide asylum to those fleeing persecution, violence and authoritarianism is unprincipled,” they said.
The congressmembers say they recognize that immigration reform is urgent, but they described the Republicans’ positions as “extremist.”
“We unequivocally agree on the need for Congress to act to reform our immigration system and address the challenges at our border, but extreme Republican demands to cut off legal avenues and deport long-term residents will not reduce migration. authorized, will only exacerbate the challenges of our current situation,” they wrote.
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