BIDEN, DEMS FOCUS ON IMMIGRATION
Broad bill introduced, but with goal to make progress, piecemeal approach may be attempted.
WASHINGTON — After decades of failed attempts to pass comprehensive immigration legislation, congressional Democrats and President Joe Biden are signaling openness to a piece-by-piece approach.
They unveiled a broad bill Thursday that would provide an eight-year pathway to citizenship for 11 million people living in the country without legal status. There are other provisions, too, but the Democrats are not talking all-or-nothing.
“Even though I support full, comprehensive immigration reform, I’m ready to move on piecemeal because I don’t want to end up with good intentions on my hands and not have anything,” said Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar. “I’d rather have progress.”
The pragmatic approach is a nod to past failures to deliver on a large-scale immigration overhaul — and how success could be even more difficult in a highly polarized, closely divided Congress.
The Democrats’ legislation reflects the broad priorities for immigration changes that Biden laid out on his first day in office, including more visas, more money to process asylum applications, new technology at the southern border and funding for economic development in Latin American countries.
But advocates for expansive immigration say they could pursue smaller bills focused on citizenship for such groups as young immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents as children, agricultural workers and other essential labor.
“I know what it’s like to lose on big bills and small bills. The fear that people have experienced in the past four years deserves … every single bill to remedy,” said Greisa Martinez Rosas, executive director for United We Dream, an immigration advocacy group.
“The biggest thing here is that we’re going to get something across the finish line, because not doing so is not an option.”
The broad legislation — including a pathway to citizenship, but not much in the way of the enhanced border security typically offered to win Republican votes — faces long odds in Congress.
Comprehensive bills negotiated by bipartisan teams of lawmakers failed multiple times during Republican George W. Bush’s administration and again in 2013 during Democrat Barack Obama’s.
Republican Donald Trump signed legislation that increased border security, and took executive action to restrict legal immigration to the U.S. and remove some protections for immigrants living in the country set by Obama. Biden has signed a number of executive orders rolling back some of the Trump restrictions, but promised throughout his campaign and transition that immigration overhaul would be a top priority.
The White House insisted Thursday there have been no decisions on strategy. But multiple immigration organizations said administration officials had signaled in recent conversations that they were open to a multilevel approach in which lawmakers would press forward on the comprehensive bill, while also pursuing individual pieces.
Cuellar, who was in office for most of those early, failed attempts, said many in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are still committed to a comprehensive overhaul. He said the White House reached out to him and he advised them to start with a broad bill, but he added that “reality is going to hit people, hopefully” and more lawmakers will get on board with a more incremental approach.