DREAM Act Portal Forum - View Single Post - Senate negotiations heating up on aid, southern border talks

Transcend · 11-10-2023, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Hill talks are heating up over funding for Israel, the southern border and Ukraine.

But while the shape of a deal that could appease both parties and the White House remains murky, one thing is abundantly clear: There’s no way JOE BIDEN is walking out of the negotiations unscathed.

Anxiety levels have been high since we reported last week that, to win GOP votes on the spending package, the administration would be open to potential changes that would deny more migrants the opportunity to apply for asylum.

Now in a letter sent to the White House today, first obtained by West Wing Playbook, nearly 200 immigration groups and progressive organizations are urging Biden to reject policy and funding proposals that would limit access to asylum and to fulfill his campaign promises to “restore the asylum system.”

“We are appalled by proposals that would eliminate or reduce asylum protections at precisely the moment in which protections for people seeking asylum are most needed,” the groups wrote in the letter organized by Human Rights First, National Immigration Law Center and National Immigrant Justice Center.

“These proposals, including statutory changes to asylum law and major funding expansions to detain and rapidly remove people seeking asylum, would lead to violations of international law, and would violate your campaign commitment to restore the asylum system after the prior administration decimated it.”

Biden will almost certainly have to sign off on some border compromises that come out of Hill talks. He continuously faces heat on the immigration issue, and has been lambasted for reimplementing DONALD TRUMP-era policies such as the so-called transit ban.

White House assistant press secretary ANGELO FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ said the president supports “comprehensive reforms” to the immigration system, which is why he sent a bill to Congress immediately upon taking office in 2021.

“If Republicans want to have a serious conversation about reforms that will improve our immigration system, we are open to a discussion,” he said. “We disagree with many of the policies contained in the new Senate Republican border proposal. Further, we do not see anything in their proposal about creating an earned path to citizenship for Dreamers and others. Congress should fund the President’s supplemental request to secure the border now.”

Both the White House and Senate Dems rejected the initial GOP supplemental package that included stricter asylum, curtailed humanitarian parole policies and would build the border wall. But the new bipartisan negotiating group — which includes Sens. THOM TILLIS (R-N.C), KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-Ariz.), JAMES LANKFORD (R-Okla.), CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.), MICHAEL BENNET (D-Colo.), LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) and TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) — has left advocates and immigration policy experts nervous about what compromises might emerge from the talks. They feel now is time to put pressure on Biden before it’s too late.

“Making fundamental changes to asylum law and immigration policy in the context of politicized and rapid negotiations on government spending is antithetical to the United States government’s obligations to people fleeing life-threatening harm and exercising their lawful right to seek asylum,” said MARY MEG MCCARTHY, executive director of the National Immigrant Justice Center.

While top Biden aides worked the phones last week to discuss potential changes to the credible fear standard with advocates and Dems, they have been less present in negotiations this week. But there’s growing worry that the president’s party is a political tight spot.

Thought I'd share this with you all as it's quite interesting. I like how most Senators on the negotatiors table -like Bennett, Graham, Lankford, Thillis and Sinema- are or have been pro-Dreamers in the past. The hope is they can strike a reasonable balance on their give and takes. Let's stay tuned.

If any of them are your Senator, please make sure to call or write to them. Positive change starts from the ground up.

We are our own advocates!