*Background — Significance.
-A 2021 Gallup poll found that 75 percent of Americans surveyed considered immigration to be good for the United States. At the same time, however, the majority felt that illegal immigration was a significant threat to U.S. national security.
-To read a summary of the different types of immigration categories, click here
-There is a significant about of misinformation about immigration. A report by the Carnagie Corporation presents some facts. To read the report, click here.
*Talking Points
-How Ship Crash into Francis Scott Key Bridge Demolishes Lies about Immigrants
–Republican Hypocrisy on Border Security
–Democrats Increased Border Funding
-Supplemental Funding Request of October 2023 to increase resources to detect fentanyl.
–Biden Administration Took Executive Action to Reduce Illegal Immigration
–Biden Administration’s Proposed Immigration Reform Bill
-Thoughts on How to Fix the Broken Immigration System
-Collapse of Francis Scott Key in Baltimore Illustrates the Truth about Immigrants in the USA
An article by Will Bunch published on March 28, 2024 in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridges in Baltimore on March 26, discusses how the eight immigrants fixing potholes on the bridge that night are more representative of the immigrants who come to the USA than the false depiction by far-right MAGA Republican fear mongers. To read the article, click here.
–Republican Hypocrisy on Border Security
An editorial in the Tampa Bay Times published on February 6, 2024 sharply criticized Republicans for rejecting proposed legislation that would have significantly strengthened border security. To read the article, click here.
-Democrats Increased Funding for Border Security – Republicans Opposed Funding.
As per an article o September 2022 in Think: “… Contrary to the “open border” myth, U.S. borders are guarded by a vast and well-funded national security agency that has grown far larger and more powerful in recent years. Since 2001, U.S. Border Patrol has nearly doubled in capacity, from fewer than 10,000 agents to now more than 19,500. The Biden administration has requested $97.3 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2023, including billions of dollars for border security and interior immigration enforcement.
In 2021, a large majority of congressional Republicans voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which provided billions of dollars to strengthen border security, among other investments in critical infrastructure. In 2022, most Senate Republicans voted to not fund the government, thereby choosing not to vote for even 1 cent for the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and also Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The 2022 omnibus appropriations bill not only funded the nation’s border security, but it also had Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for food and shelter to help border communities manage migration. Ultimately, the “no” votes by the majority of Senate Republicans for investing in infrastructure and funding the federal government were overcome, and these massive investments in border security enhancements were signed into law by President Joe Biden.
To read the article of September 2022 in Think about the GOP’s Myth of an Open Border, click here.
-Supplemental Budget Request to Strengthen Border Security
Excerpts from a Fact Sheet issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of October 20, 2023 are:
“President Biden continues to implement a migration strategy focused on enforcement, deterrence, and diplomacy. The plan has increased the number of law enforcement personnel along the border and expedited removals of noncitizens without a legal basis to remain in the United States thanks to enhanced enforcement processes and historic diplomatic agreements. At the same time, we have implemented the largest expansion of lawful pathways in decades. The requested funding supports:
More resources for the fight against fentanyl: Funding for additional personnel and investigative capabilities to prevent cartels from moving fentanyl into the country, primarily through Ports of Entry. In Fiscal Year 2023, ICE and HSI conducted more than 5,000 fentanyl-related arrests. The funds in the supplemental will enable both agencies to apply the lessons learned and keep up with the tactics of the transnational criminal organizations that control the fentanyl trade. This includes:
- Hiring 1,000 additional CBP Officers and resources for Homeland Security Investigations.
- Equipping Southwest Border ports of entry with cutting-edge detection technology, in particular Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) systems to enhance inspection capabilities, including fentanyl detection).”
- To read the entire Fact Sheet, click here.
-Biden Administration’s Executive Action to Expand Legal Pathways and also Reduce Illegal Immigration.
In January 2023 the Biden-Harris Administration announced new enforcement measures to increase security at the border and reduce the number of individuals crossing unlawfully between ports of entry. These measures will expand and expedite legal pathways for orderly migration and result in new consequences for those who fail to use those legal pathways. They also draw on the success of the Venezuela initiative, which launched in October 2022 and has resulted in a dramatic drop in the number of Venezuelan nationals attempting to enter the United States unlawfully. To read the Fact Sheet about this action, click here.
-Biden Proposed Immigration Reform Bill.
In February of 2021 CNN reported on the White House’s announcement of a sweeping immigration bill Thursday that would create an eight-year path to citizenship for millions of immigrants already in the country and provide a faster track for undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children.
-Thoughts by Steven Rattner on How to Fix the Immigration System
An Opinion Piece that appeared in the New York Times by Steven Rattner on January 9, 2024 provides a concise, informative overview of the immigration system and ideas on how to fix it. He mentions the large back log of cases in the system and notes that generally speaking the Democrats want more money and Republicans want narrower grounds for remaining in this country (as well as more walls). He states, “We need lots of the former and a bit of the latter.” In his article he makes good use of a graphic depiction of the immigration processing system sourced from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. He notes that these figures are for fiscal year 2023, which starts in October 2022 and ends in September 2023.
To read the full article, click here. To read more about Steven Rattner and the articles on his website, click here.
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