quite the contrary. I have voted in every election since I became eligible in 1976. I will vote this time. I just won't vote for Trump or Biden.
This appears to be a fairly good high-level summary of the bipartisan immigration deal. As members of both parties scrap over the substance of the bill, here’s a rundown of what’s really in it: Detention Immigration and Customs Enforcement would get almost $8 billion in emergency funding, rivaling the agency’s regular annual budget of about $9 billion. The emergency funding would include more than $3 billion for increased detention capacity. Asylum The plan would set a goal of speeding up the review of asylum claims, striving to let no cases last more than six months — often by allowing asylum officers to close out a claim rather than going through immigration courts. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would get nearly $4 billion to help shoulder that new workload, including for hiring more than 4,300 asylum officers. The measure would require asylum seekers to show greater proof to seek refuge in the U.S. and would ensure they are allowed a lawyer if they are facing rapid deportation. All unaccompanied children under 14 years old would also be granted lawyers during removal proceedings, covered by an infusion of $350 million for the Department of Health and Human Services. Immigrant advocates quickly panned the proposal, with the ACLU arguing that it would “eviscerate” longstanding protections, and the National Immigrant Justice Center stressing that it would make asylum “largely un-obtainable for those who are permitted to request it at ports of entry.” ‘Border shutdown’ The bill would force the Department of Homeland Security to shutter the border if daily illegal crossings top 5,000 migrants on average or 8,500 in a single day. Unaccompanied minors from countries other than Mexico and Canada wouldn’t count toward that total. The administration could only reopen the border if encounters of illegal crossings drop to 75 percent of the number that initially triggered the closure. DHS would also have the power to shut down the border if crossings average more than 4,000 a day for a week, and Biden has signaled he would aggressively use that authority. During a “border shutdown,” many people trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border would be quickly deported. But exceptions would be made for unaccompanied minors and people who meet the requirements of the United Nations Convention Against Torture rules. Ports of entry DHS would still consider asylum requests from people crossing at legal ports of entry during those periods of “border shutdown” — just not in between those ports. Officials would have to process at least 1,400 asylum requests per day under those terms. Local support $1.4 billion would be disbursed to help states and local governments handle the influx of immigrants. In New York alone, Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this month proposed spending $2.4 billion to provide services to migrants in her annual budget. Border wall The bill would force the Biden administration to use money already laid out for border barriers on the kind of steel fencing that Trump boasted during his tenure. That “bollard”-style border wall is supposed to be 18 to 30 feet high, with “anti-dig” and “anti-climb” features. Afghan nationals Permanent residency would be offered to Afghans who fled their home country and received special immigrant visas following the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021. It would also allow Afghans who are considered U.S. allies to be deemed refugees and entitled to special State Department protections or immediate removal from Afghanistan. Special immigrant status would also be offered to Afghans who are an immediate relative of a U.S. military member or veteran. Up to 2,500 special immigrant visas would be offered a year, for a total of up to 10,000. Visas The deal would free up 250,000 new visas over half a decade for people seeking to work in the U.S. or to join family members. It would offer work authorization to the children and spouses of people who have H-1B visas for specialized jobs that often require a bachelor’s degree, like tech and engineering work. Immigrants awaiting visas would also be eligible for work if they have a U.S. citizen spouse or fiancé, or if their parent is the spouse or fiancé of a U.S. citizen. Countering fentanyl Folded into the border security deal is legislation aimed at beefing up anti-money laundering policies and sanctions, known as the Fend Off Fentanyl Act. The Drug Enforcement Administration would receive more than $23 million to disrupt and disband Mexican cartels trafficking fentanyl across the southern border. And the State Department and USAID would see about $25 million for programs aimed at curbing the flow of the drug into the U.S. ‘Documented Dreamers’ Advocates and some Democrats quickly slammed the lack of relief or pathways to citizenship for so-called Dreamers, or undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. There’s also no new citizenship path for farm workers or other long-time residents who work in essential jobs. The legislation does, however, aim to provide a pathway to citizenship for “Documented Dreamers,” or children who accompanied their parents on a work visa and who could potentially lose their place in line for a green card at age 21. Work permits Immigrants who apply for asylum could be eligible to work in the U.S. while they wait. Border Patrol Customs and Border Protection would get nearly $7 billion in emergency funding, a massive infusion above its current yearly budget of about $21 billion. That extra funding would include $723 million would cover increased hiring of Border Patrol agents and overtime pay. The bill would also give DHS more flexibility in hiring Border Patrol agents and create yearly training requirements for non-lethal force, protecting due process and preserving civil and human rights.
Really, simply put, if you are okay with the status quo, you can wait and hope for another bill that you like more (the chance of that is close to nil). If you are not okay with it, this is a golden opportunity. The status quo is a broken immigration system. I don't think anyone would disagree with that. But some believe it's currently a national emergency. You would be calling your representative to vote yes if so.
For the second time in a decade, the far-right of the GOP is aiming to tank a bipartisan immigration bill. Those of you who don't think this goes far enough need to learn how to take a ****ing W instead of constant Ls. The GOP receives millions fewer votes in national elections than the Democrats. There is no 60-vote path for the GOP in the Senate. There is zero chance you ever get an all-or-nothing immigration bill. So just take the incremental win and work on convincing Americans that your ultimate goals are the right ones. Otherwise, you continue to look like petulant children.
You might wake up one day to realize people aren't what you think. This is like the 100th time you've informed me of how sleepy I am. I've ignored all of them, but let me address this one time. @basso is trolling or isn't quite all there. The person he claims to support for POTUS is blasting Trump for playing politics with the border. I don't wonder if he'll continue to support her or care about any of his opinions, with some exceptions, and I'm simply ignoring him. You might want to do the same, but you have the free will to decide for yourself what to think and how to think.
We need more of this; these are the folks on the front line that are fighting this everyday. The gop is sending out signals to the base which are lies about the bill which is just sickening, they dont care about Joe Law down on the border, they only care about the billionaire cult leader..........you can fool the maga base, but the rest of are smart enough to call bullshit when we see it..............
Who the hell wants the support of a man that hates women, Christians, gays, atheists, Jews and white people -- and was directly involved in the murder of Malcolm X?
Huh? As someone that has prosecuted the cartels in the past, I can tell you that they do not GAF either way. They will get their product into the USA no matter what, and in many cases their product is being manufactured inside the USA right now. They can get their product into the USA easily through customs, as they cannot and never will inspect every shipment into the USA because it is cost prohibitive and would destroy the US economy if we did. So as far as border concerns, drug cartels are low on the list. Naked immigration would be more of a concern and human trafficking to a point (even human trafficking can be done with massive border security). Tougher border patrol and walls that are actively monitored can be somewhat effective against MS-13 and nationals from places like China, the Middle East and Venezuela. If someone has enough money and desire, they can get into America if they want to as long as they are not internationally wanted. We need border reform - and what the hardline republicans and democrats are pushing is not practicable. So we need to agree on something - and one of the parties does not want to be labeled as being the party that is using immigration reform as a way to manipulate voters.
