[ad_1]
WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats only took a few days to assess how far President Joe Biden’s bold immigration proposal can go to Congress to recognize that if anything emerges, it will probably be much more modest.
As they prepare to tackle a politically flammable problem that has resisted major congressional action since the 1980s, Democrats use words like “ambitious” to describe Biden’s plan and “herculean” to express the effort they will need to win.
A similar message came from the White House on Friday when press secretary Jen Psaki said the new administration hopes Biden’s plan will be “the basis” for immigration talks in Congress. The Democrats’ cautious tone underscored the fragile path they face on an issue central to their minority, progressive and activist voters.
Even long-time immigration proponents who advocate a merciless struggle admit they may have to settle for a less than total victory. Paving the way for citizenship for all 11 million immigrants to the United States illegally – the centerpiece of Biden’s plan – is “the stake at the top of the mountain,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro group. -immigration America’s Voice, in an interview. “If there are ways to move forward to this top by building victories and momentum, we’ll look at them.”
The citizenship process in Biden’s plan would only take three years for some people, eight years for others. The proposal would make it easier for some workers to stay in the United States temporarily or permanently, provide development assistance to Central American countries in the hope of reducing immigration and moving towards strengthening the border control technology.
Senate Democratic No. 2 Leader Richard Durbin of Illinois said in an interview this week that the package most likely to emerge will create a path to citizenship for so-called Dreamers. They are immigrants who have lived in the United States most of their lives after being brought here illegally as children.
More than 600,000 of them have temporary authorization to live in the United States under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Former President Barack Obama created this program administratively and Durbin and others would like to see it enacted into law.
Durbin, who called Biden’s plan “ambitious,” said he hoped for other things as well, such as more visas for farm workers and others.
“We understand the political reality of a 50-50 Senate, that any change in immigration will require cooperation between the parties,” said Durbin, who is set to become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said the legislation produced by the Senate “is unlikely to reach the same levels” as Biden’s proposal.
The Senate is split evenly between the two parties, with Vice President Kamala Harris tipping the chamber in favor of the Democrats with her deciding vote. Even so, major legislation requires 60 votes to overcome obstructionists, or endless procedural delays, in order to pass. This means that 10 Republicans are expected to join the 50 Democrats in adopting an immigration measure, a tall order.
“Getting immigration reform through the Senate, in particular, is a Herculean task,” said Senator Bob Menendez, DN.J., who will also play a leading role in the battle.
Many Republicans agree with Durbin’s assessment.
“I think the space in a 50-50 Senate will be kind of a DACA deal,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., who has worked with Democrats on past immigration efforts. “I just think global immigration will be a tough sell in this environment.”
Illustrating the detailed negotiations ahead, Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, a moderate who sought compromises earlier on immigration, praised parts of the bill but said she wanted more visas for foreign workers which his state’s tourism industry heavily uses.
The obstacles of the Democrats are formidable.
They have razor thin majorities in a House and Senate where Republican support for easing immigration restrictions is generally weak. Bitter partisan relations were further intensified by former President Donald Trump’s boisterous tenure. Biden will need to devote a lot of time and political capital to older, higher-priority bills to tackle the pandemic and strengthen the economy, leaving his future influence uncertain.
In addition, Democrats will have to resolve important tactical differences.
Sharry said immigration groups preferred Democrats pushing for a bill as strong as possible without making any concessions to Republicans on issues such as increased spending on border security. He said hopes for a bipartisan breakthrough are “a dumb race” because the GOP has largely opposed expanding citizenship opportunities for so long.
But winning without the GOP votes would mean near unanimity among Democrats in Congress, a huge challenge. It would also mean Democrats would either have to remove the Senate obstruction, which they may not have the votes to do, or find other procedural avenues around the 60-vote hurdle.
“I’ll start negotiating” with the Republicans, Durbin said. He said a bipartisan bill would be much better “if we can do it” because it would improve the chances of passage.
Democrats are already facing attacks from Republicans, eyeing next year’s election, on an issue that helped Trump’s 2016 victory by bolstering his support from many white voters.
Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Said Biden’s bill “will prioritize helping illegal immigrants and not our fellow citizens.” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Who heads the Republican National Senate Committee, the campaign arm of the GOP Senate, said the measure would hurt “hard-working Americans and the millions of immigrants who fight their way to through the legal immigration process ”.
Democrats say such claims are false but say it is difficult to write clear and precise answers on what is a complex question. Instead, you need to have “a grown-up conversation” with voters, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., Said in an interview.
“Yes, it’s about people, but it’s also about economics,” said Spanberger, a moderate from a district where farms and tech companies hire large numbers of immigrants. “In central Virginia, we rely on immigration. And you might not like it, but we like it.
[ad_2]
Source link