2020 Election: How Elizabeth Warren Would Approach Immigration Reform

Immigration Reform? Now, Elizabeth Warren has a plan for that too.

The Massachusetts senator, whose 2020 presidential campaign is defined by her stock of political proposals, unveiled Thursday a set of ideas to restructure the government's approach to immigration in order to create a rules-based system that is fair, humane and reflects our values. " , "She writes in a blog post.

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The deployment comes as Warren and other national Democrats have accused the Trump administration in recent weeks of having exacerbated a humanitarian crisis along the southern border by failing to provide the necessities and supplies. health conditions for migrants held in detention centers.

"But if Trump may have pushed the system to its extreme punitive," writes Warren, "his racist policies are based on a flawed immigration system and an application infrastructure already ready for misuse." .

What would the plan do?

Warren calls for the elimination of criminal sanctions for people "entering the country without authorization" but would leave in place civil penalties for illegal border crossings. She also called for separating law enforcement responsibilities from law enforcement agencies in immigration matters, saying that "the combination of these functions sows distrust and hurts public security ".

Warren says she's "reshaping … from top to bottom" the US Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs enforcement, by committing to " change the culture "in the agencies and begin to" focus their efforts on domestic security efforts such as cargo control, identification of contraband and smuggling ".

After Donald Trump leaves office, Warren says that she will hold her administration accountable for "criminal abuses committed on immigrants" by appointing a Justice Department task force "to investigate charges." serious violations "at the border.

Warren calls for various restrictions on government-imposed detention and says it would remove private detention centers. It promises to eliminate expedited removal proceedings, to grant the right to due process to people living illegally in the country and to work for the "adoption of a law establishing control Judicial Article One for Immigration Cases on the Style of Our Federal Courts ".

Warren seeks to reverse several principles of Trump's immigration program, such as travel restrictions imposed by the president on certain countries, his reduction in the number of refugees admitted to the United States, and the politics of administration. consisting of "Staying in Mexico", which requires asylum seekers to stay on the other side of the border while they wait for hearings.

It also proposes various measures to develop legal immigration, including the reinstatement and extension of the deferred action program for undocumented youth of the Obama era, as well as to promote legal immigration. a "far-reaching legislative solution offering a fair but achievable path to citizenship". for people who fall under temporary protection status and delayed forced departure.

How much would that cost?

Warren calls for, among other initiatives, annual assistance of at least $ 1.5 billion to programs benefiting Central America. She also promised "strong funding to fight gangs" and other transnational crimes.

How could she pay for this?

This is not entirely clear, although Warren suggested that at least some of his proposals would save money. She says that "community-based alternatives" to government detention of migrants "are safer, save money and can be more effective in ensuring compliance."

How would she do it?

Warren said that she "would work with Congress to push for a far-reaching reform" but that she was "also ready to move forward with the action of the United States." executive if the Congress refused to act ".

What other democrats have proposed?

Julián Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, was the first 2020 Democrat will issue a comprehensive immigration proposal, which advocates splitting ICE into two, establishing a "path to full and equal citizenship" for 11 million people illegally in the United States and a "21st Century Marshall Plan" to Central America.

Former Texas Representative, Beto O 'Rourke's plan calls on the Congress to create a path to citizenship, to relax naturalization protocols and to increase the number of visas. O'Rourke also proposes to increase the number of court staff, clerks, interpreters and judges in the US asylum system and to deploy up to 2,000 lawyers on the southern border.

California Senator Kamala Harris' plan would restore and expand the DACA program, providing a path to citizenship for some of the youth known as Dreamers and extending deportation assistance to approximately 6 million people.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee's plan overthrows much of Trump's immigration program, restores DACA, allows more refugees to enter the United States, increases foreign aid to Latin America and aims to pave the way for citizenship for dreamers and others.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker also announced a plan which is gradually eliminating the use of private detention centers.

Who would he help?

Warren's plan is aimed at helping dreamers, temporary protection status and delayed forced departures, with Central American countries seeking more foreign aid, eligible immigrants to the United States but subject to visa restrictions, etc.

Who opposes it?

Warren would face stiff opposition from Republican lawmakers who would likely seek to preserve much of Trump's immigration program after the president's resignation. And some 2020 Democrats, such as O'Rourke, disagree with his desire to eliminate criminal penalties for illegal border crossings.