Democrats curb Expectations on Biden’s immigration Law

WASHINGTON- It has taken Democrats just a few days to assess how far President Joe Biden’s ambitious immigration proposal can go in the United States Congress and acknowledge that if something does come up, it will likely be much more modest.

As they prepare to tackle a politically sensitive issue that has resisted major congressional action since the 1980s, Democrats use words like “aspirational” to describe Biden’s plan and “herculean” to express the effort it will take to get it out ahead.

The White House launched a similar message on Friday when press secretary Jen Psaki said the new administration hopes the president’s plan will be “the basis” for immigration discussions in Congress. The cautious tone of the Democrats highlighted the fragile road ahead on a critical issue for their minority voters, progressives and activists.

Even those who have been working for immigration for years and championing an all-out fight have recognized that they may have to settle for less than a total victory. Paving the way to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants who do not have the proper permits to be in the country – the centerpiece of Biden’s plan – is “what’s at the top of the mountain,” said Frank Sharry, director. executive of the pro-immigration group America’s Voice, in an interview. “If there are ways to move towards that summit by accumulating victories and momentum, we will contemplate them.”

The citizenship process contemplated in Biden’s plan would take just three years in some cases, and up to eight in others. The proposal would make it easier for hundreds of workers to stay in the country temporarily or permanently, grant development aid to Central American countries in the hope of reducing immigration, and strengthen border control technology.

Richard Durbin, a senator from Illinois and second in the upper house in the Democratic hierarchy, said in an interview this week that the package most likely to get ahead would offer a path to citizenship for so-called “dreamers,” the migrants in the United States most of their lives after entering the country illegally when they were minors.

More than 600,000 people in this situation have temporary residence permits thanks to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program created by former President Barack Obama that Durbin and others would like to see signed into law.

Durbin, who called Biden’s plan “aspirational,” said he expects other elements as well, such as more visas for farm and other workers.

“We understand the political reality of a 50-50 Senate (and) that any change in immigration will require cooperation between the parties,” said Durbin, who is on the way to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee. Legislation produced in the chamber may “not reach the same levels” as Biden’s proposal, he added.

The Senate is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, and Vice President Kamala Harris will tip tight voting in favor of Democrats with her tiebreaker vote. But to move forward, important legislation must have 60 votes in favor to prevent filibustering, a delaying tactic to obstruct passage of a law. This means that 10 Republicans should join with the entire Democrats to enact immigration reform, a complicated undertaking.

“Passing immigration reform in the Senate, especially, is a Herculean task,” said New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, who will also play a prominent role in the battle.

“I think the space in a 50% split Senate will be for something like the DACA deal,” said Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina who has worked with Democrats on previous immigration actions. “Comprehensive immigration reform is going to be difficult in this environment.”

As an example of the detailed negotiation ahead, Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate who has sought immigration compromises before, praised parts of the bill but said she wants more visas for foreign workers, something that is heavily used by the US tourism industry your state.

They have very slim majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, where Republican support for easing immigration restrictions is often lacking. The bitter relations between the parties worsened during the troubled tenure of former President Donald Trump. Biden will have to invest much of his time and political capital in higher priority laws to combat the pandemic and boost the economy, leaving a cloud of uncertainty about future influence.