Senate Republicans express no optimism about the chances of passing immigration reform in the lame duck session before the next Congress.
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis and Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced Monday that they have agreed on a relaxed framework for bipartisan immigration reform, with compromises for Democrats and Republicans.
And while Democrats are eager to pass the reform, Republicans dismissed the possibility of immigration reform in the lame duck session before the next Congress in January.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told he will do “everything in his power” to prevent immigration reform from penetrating the Senate.
“There will be no immigration reform,” Texas GOP Senator John Cornyn said.
Venezuelan migrants walk along the US border fence after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico
Border Patrol officers collect trash while detaining a group of immigrants from Mexico and Central America near the U.S.-Mexico border in McAllen, Texas, December 01, 2022
Other senators considering potentially winnable votes indicated they had not yet read the framework. “I haven’t looked at it yet, no,” said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. “I’ve started looking at it but haven’t gotten into the details yet,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
Senator Rob Portman, another potential “yes,” told he hadn’t looked into the new framework but “I support immigration reform, the border is obviously in crisis and needs tightening.”
The Ohio Republican said any deal must be “bipartisan” and focused on “expanding border patrol and increasing their pay.”
The deal, which extends Title 42 for a year, would have to be passed by December 21, the day the Covid-era health restriction allowing for immediate expulsion ends.
The accord gives DACA recipients, immigrants brought into the country illegally as children known as Dreamers, a path to citizenship, and some immigrants have improved due process rights to keep Democrats happy, and faster deportations and stronger border security for Republicans.
North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis and Arizona Democrat Kyrsten Sinema have reportedly reached a framework agreement on immigration reform that they hope to push through in the lame duck session before Republicans take over the House in January
Senator Rob Portman, another potential “yes,” told he hadn’t looked into the new framework but “I support immigration reform, the border is obviously in crisis and needs tightening.”
When asked if he would be willing to support a path to citizenship for Dreamers in exchange for increased enforcement, Portman declined to stake a position. “I’d like to see the whole thing,” he said.
“I think the debt ceiling is going to be exceeded, but immigration, that would be a pretty tough job,” Senator Mitt Romney said, predicting that Congress would convene to pass a funding bill to raise the debt ceiling before the December 16 deadline to adopt a government shutdown.
House Republicans have toyed with the idea of not agreeing to a debt ceiling hike without a border security bill.
Under the agreement, asylum processing facilities would serve as detention centers and more lawyers would be available to defend immigrants. But if migrants don’t present a “credible fear” in their initial interview, they would be deported more quickly.
Meanwhile, Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Michael Bennett, D-Colo are negotiating. Reportedly stricter legislation following a law passed by the House to open a path to citizenship for some undocumented farm workers.
But even Senator Chuck Schumer would not commit to bringing about an immigration deal while his party still controls the House and Senate.
“Senators Sinema and Tillis are speaking and I’m happy when people discuss it. It’s something, you know, of course we’d love to get it done. And we hope that these discussions will lead to positive results.
“Why can’t Republicans work bipartisanly with us to push through immigration reform?” asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during her daily news briefing. “What we saw from them are political stunts. They do […] We have found solutions.”
In the House of Representatives, right-wing Republicans are even less interested in reforming US immigration policy, where a backward system often leaves asylum seekers waiting up to five years to process their applications.
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has said he will not initiate immigration reform until he believes the border is safe.
“I cannot support any kind of immigration amnesty,” Rep. Andy Biggs, who is challenging Rep. Kevin McCarthy for his right to speak, wrote on Twitter. “The latest Senate proposal rewards millions of lawbreakers with citizenship and would send a message to the world that now is the time to enter the United States illegally. This would further exacerbate Biden’s border crisis.”
Nonetheless, the Democrat-led House of Representatives is taking a slew of immigration-related bills this week.
On Tuesday, the lower chamber passed the Veterans Service Recognition Act by a vote of 220 to 208, which would allow certain deported veterans to regain their green cards and encourage foreign-born military personnel to apply for citizenship.
Later this week, the House of Representatives will vote on the Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act, which would eliminate per-country green card caps in favor of employment-based migration.
The White House supported both bills on Tuesday, but critics say the EAGLE bill aims to help big tech import foreign workers.
Yvette Clark, DN.Y., chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Immigration Taskforce, opposed the bill because she says the bill would help Chinese and Indian green card applicants at the expense of Africans and Caribbeans.
The end of Title 42 comes as figures show illegal immigration encounters at the southern border hit one of the highest numbers ever in October and came third from April to May earlier this year.
According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), migrant crossings in fiscal 2022 hit 2.8 million, beating the previous year’s record by more than a million.
At the start of fiscal 2023, CBP reported encounters with 230,678 migrants at the southern border.