Biden is said to be finalizing plans for migrant limits as part of a US-Mexico border clampdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is finalizing plans for a U.S.-Mexico border clampdown that would shut off asylum requests and automatically deny entrance to migrants once the number of people encountered by American border officials exceeded a new daily threshold, with President Joe Biden expected to sign an executive order as early as Tuesday, according to four people familiar with the matter. The president has been weighing additional executive action since the collapse of a bipartisan border bill earlier this year. The number of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border has declined for months, partly because of a stepped-up effort by Mexico. Still, immigration remains a top concern heading into the U.S. presidential election in November and Republicans are eager to hammer Biden on the issue. The Democratic administration’s effort would aim to head off any potential spike in crossings that could occur later in the year, as the fall election draws closer, when the weather cools and numbers tend to rise, two of the people. They were not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. ADVERTISEMENT The move would allow Biden, whose administration has taken smaller steps in recent weeks to discourage migration and speed up asylum processing, to say he has done all he can do to control the border numbers without help from Congress. READ MORE Relatives and friends carry the coffin that contain the remains of man slain in a mass shooting, during a funeral procession in Huitzilac, Mexico, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The shooting in the mountain township beset by crime just south of Mexico City resulted in several deaths, authorities said Sunday. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Mexico’s drug cartels and gangs appear to be playing a wider role in Sunday’s elections than before This cover image released by Sony Music shows "The Border" by Willie Nelson. (Sony Music via AP) Music Review: Willie Nelson takes it back to Texas, with notes of Mexico, on ‘The Border’ FILE - A person holds a sign with a message that reads in Spanish: "We are all the same Mexico", at an opposition rally called to encourage voting in the upcoming election, in the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme, File) AP PHOTOS: Mexicans choose between continuity and change in election overshadowed by violence The talks were still fluid and the people stressed that no final decisions had been made. The restrictions being considered are an aggressive attempt to ease the nation’s overwhelmed asylum system, along with a new effort to speed up the cases of migrants already in America and another meant to quicken processing for migrants with criminal records or those who would otherwise be eventually deemed ineligible for asylum in the United States. ADVERTISEMENT The people told the AP that the administration was weighing some of the policies directly from a stalled bipartisan Senate border deal, including capping the number of encounters at an average of 4,000 per day over a week and whether that limit would include asylum-seekers coming to the border with appointments through U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app. Right now, there are roughly 1,450 such appointments per day. Two of the people said one option is that migrants who arrive after the border reaches a certain threshold could be removed automatically in a process similar to deportation and would not be able to return easily. Migrants were able to more easily return to the border if they were expelled under the pandemic-era policy known as Title 42. Under that arrangement, Mexico agreed to take back some non-Mexican nationalities, including migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Migrants, especially families, claiming asylum at the southern border are generally released into the U.S. to wait out their cases. But there are more than 2 million pending immigration court cases, and some people wait years for a court date while they live in limbo in the U.S. ADVERTISEMENT Anyone can ask for asylum regardless of whether they arrive illegally at the border, but U.S. officials are increasingly pushing migrants to make appointments, use a legal pathway that avoids the costly and dangerous journey, or stay where they are and apply through outposts in Colombia, Guatemala and Costa Rica. The Biden administration has grown ever more conservative on border issues as the president faces ceaseless criticism from Republicans and there are large numbers of migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico who are not easily returned, especially as global displacement grows from war, climate change and more. The immigration authority that the administration has been looking to use is outlined in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It gives a president broad leeway to block entry of certain immigrants into the U.S. if it would be “detrimental” to the U.S. national interest. Senate Republicans last week again blocked a bill that would have enshrined some of the same efforts into law. The vote was meant to underscore GOP resistance to the proposal even as Republicans have clamored for more restrictions and argued that Biden has not done enough to stem the flow of migrants entering into the U.S. ADVERTISEMENT The bipartisan bill had been negotiated for months and appeared, for a moment anyway, to be heading toward passage. It was even endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council and its president Brandon Judd, an avowed supporter of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. But Trump, concerned about handing Democrats an election-year win, called on Republicans to tank it, and they did. White House officials did not confirm the expected executive order. White House spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández said the administration “continues to explore a series of policy options and we remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system.” ADVERTISEMENT “While congressional Republicans chose to stand in the way of additional border enforcement, President Biden will not stop fighting to deliver the resources that border and immigration personnel need to secure our border,” he said. Congress this year approved funding for a total of 41,500 detention beds and increased money for immigration enforcement and removal operations by $1.2 billion over what the White House had initially requested. That included $106 million in more funding for programs that monitor immigrants in the asylum system through phone apps and ankle bracelets, rather than through detention. Those increases, negotiated after the collapse of the bipartisan deal, could pave the way for the administration to ratchet up immigration enforcement. Yet unlike legislative action that is binding, anything Biden does through executive action can be challenged in the courts, and will almost certainly be, so it not clear whether — or if — the clampdown on asylum would begin. The administration was weighing other actions too, including faster and tougher enforcement of the asylum process. The administration has generally paired proposed crackdowns with an expansion of legal paths elsewhere and was also planning to do so in the future, but not at the same time the new restrictions were announced, the people said. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

POLITICS U.S. planning to refer some migrants for resettlement in Greece and Italy under Biden initiative

The Biden administration is planning to refer some migrants in Latin America for resettlement in Greece and Italy as part of another effort to discourage people in the region from traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border, two people familiar with the government's plans told CBS News. The initiative would involve Greece and Italy welcoming migrants processed at immigration offices that the Biden administration set up last year in four Latin American countries to screen migrants who hope to reach the U.S., the sources said, requesting anonymity to discuss arrangements that have yet to be announced. The centers, officially known as Safe Mobility Offices, allow certain migrants in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala to apply to come to the U.S. or other countries legally. Under the new arrangements, Greece and Italy would join Canada and Spain in resettling some of those processed at the offices. One of the sources said Italy and Greece would likely accept a relatively small number of migrants, roughly 500 or fewer each. The offices are one component of a broader Biden administration strategy to reduce illegal crossings at the U.S. border by offering would-be migrants legal immigration opportunities. Over the past year, the administration has paired those programs with tougher enforcement measures, including a rule that presumes migrants are ineligible for U.S. asylum if they failed to seek protection in a third country. Unlawful crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border are down by more than 50% in May compared to the record high reported in December — a trend administration officials have attributed to their policies and efforts by Mexican officials to stop migrants from traveling north. To blunt a potential spike in migration, President Biden is also preparing to issue an executive action as soon as next week that would bar most asylum claims when illegal crossings soar, sources familiar with the internal deliberations told CBS News. Migrants seeking to enter the U.S. through a barbed-wire fence installed along the Rio Grande are driven away with pepper spray shots by Texas National Guard agents at the border with Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on May 13, 2024. Migrants seeking to enter the U.S. through a barbed-wire fence installed along the Rio Grande are driven away with pepper spray shots by Texas National Guard agents at the border with Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on May 13, 2024. HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES A spokesperson for the State Department said the Safe Mobility Offices have "enabled a six-fold increase in the number of refugees resettled from the Western Hemisphere." symbol 00:00 02:00 Read More "Given the success of the program," the spokesperson added, "we are in diplomatic discussions with other countries about joining this initiative to expand lawful pathways for resettlement but have no additional information to share at this time." On May 20, U.S. officials met with diplomats from Canada, Italy, Spain and the countries hosting the Safe Mobility Offices to discuss the initiative, according to internal Department of Homeland Security documents. In an interview with CBS News last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared to reference the agreement with Greece. "We work with Canada, Spain, and just recently, Greece, to build lawful pathways for individuals to arrive in their countries, out of the hands of smugglers who just seek to exploit these individuals for profit," Mayorkas said. Representatives for the Greek and Italian governments did not respond to requests for comment. After this story was first published, Italian government sources told Ansa, one of the main news agencies in Italy, that Rome was studying a migration agreement with the U.S., but they described it as a refugee swap. The sources said it would involve only "20 Venezuelan refugees of Italian origin." "The hypothesis of a reciprocity agreement is currently being studied, according to which the U.S. would host refugees who are in Libya and desire to go to Europe, while some European Mediterranean States would host a few dozen South American refugees," the sources told the Italian outlet. Greece's migration minister, meanwhile, said, "There is neither an agreement nor a request from the US to resettle legal immigrants in Greece." The plans to divert some Latin American migrants to Greece and Italy highlight an increasing trend by the U.S. and other Western countries to manage intensifying migration crises around the world through international deals. Just like the U.S. has faced unprecedented levels of migration to its southern border, Italy and Greece have struggled with the arrival of large numbers of migrants fleeing wars and poverty in North Africa and the Middle East over the past decade. The migration crises faced by both European countries have upended their politics and underscored the often-deadly nature of journeys in the Mediterranean Sea. Still, Greece and Italy are, in many cases, transit countries for migrants hoping to settle elsewhere in Europe. And both countries have aging populations and significant labor shortages, creating an incentive for them to resettle foreign workers. First announced in May 2023, the Safe Mobility Offices are regional brick-and-mortar hubs for the U.S. to determine whether migrants qualify for different options to enter the U.S. legally, including through traditional refugee resettlement, family visa programs, work visas or an immigration benefit known as humanitarian parole. Migrants have also been vetted for resettlement in Canada and Spain. The U.S. has resettled roughly 10,000 migrants who were processed at Safe Mobility Offices through the Refugee Admissions Program, which requires beneficiaries to prove they're fleeing persecution due to their political views, religion or other factors, according to internal government data obtained by CBS News. Who can be processed at the Safe Mobility Offices depends on the host country. The office in Colombia accepts applications from Cuban, Haitian and Venezuelan migrants. The Costa Rica-based office only processes Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. In Ecuador, the U.S. center accepts cases filed by Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Colombians. The office in Guatemala only processes Guatemalans. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Biden is said to be finalizing plans for migrant limits as part of a US-Mexico border clampdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is finalizing plans for a U.S.-Mexico border clampdown that would shut off asylum requests and automatically deny entrance to migrants once the number of people encountered by American border officials exceeded a new daily threshold, with President Joe Biden expected to sign an executive order as early as Tuesday, according to four people familiar with the matter. The president has been weighing additional executive action since the collapse of a bipartisan border bill earlier this year. The number of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border has declined for months, partly because of a stepped-up effort by Mexico. Still, immigration remains a top concern heading into the U.S. presidential election in November and Republicans are eager to hammer Biden on the issue. The Democratic administration’s effort would aim to head off any potential spike in crossings that could occur later in the year, as the fall election draws closer, when the weather cools and numbers tend to rise, two of the people. They were not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. ADVERTISEMENT The move would allow Biden, whose administration has taken smaller steps in recent weeks to discourage migration and speed up asylum processing, to say he has done all he can do to control the border numbers without help from Congress. READ MORE This cover image released by Sony Music shows "The Border" by Willie Nelson. (Sony Music via AP) Music Review: Willie Nelson takes it back to Texas, with notes of Mexico, on ‘The Border’ FILE - A person holds a sign with a message that reads in Spanish: "We are all the same Mexico", at an opposition rally called to encourage voting in the upcoming election, in the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme, File) AP PHOTOS: Mexicans choose between continuity and change in election overshadowed by violence Supporters of ruling party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum attend her closing campaign rally at the Zocalo in Mexico City, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) A violent, polarized Mexico goes to the polls to choose between 2 women presidential candidates The talks were still fluid and the people stressed that no final decisions had been made. The restrictions being considered are an aggressive attempt to ease the nation’s overwhelmed asylum system, along with a new effort to speed up the cases of migrants already in America and another meant to quicken processing for migrants with criminal records or those who would otherwise be eventually deemed ineligible for asylum in the United States. ADVERTISEMENT The people told the AP that the administration was weighing some of the policies directly from a stalled bipartisan Senate border deal, including capping the number of encounters at an average of 4,000 per day over a week and whether that limit would include asylum-seekers coming to the border with appointments through U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One app. Right now, there are roughly 1,450 such appointments per day. Two of the people said one option is that migrants who arrive after the border reaches a certain threshold could be removed automatically in a process similar to deportation and would not be able to return easily. Migrants were able to more easily return to the border if they were expelled under the pandemic-era policy known as Title 42. Under that arrangement, Mexico agreed to take back some non-Mexican nationalities, including migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Migrants, especially families, claiming asylum at the southern border are generally released into the U.S. to wait out their cases. But there are more than 2 million pending immigration court cases, and some people wait years for a court date while they live in limbo in the U.S. ADVERTISEMENT Anyone can ask for asylum regardless of whether they arrive illegally at the border, but U.S. officials are increasingly pushing migrants to make appointments, use a legal pathway that avoids the costly and dangerous journey, or stay where they are and apply through outposts in Colombia, Guatemala and Costa Rica. The Biden administration has grown ever more conservative on border issues as the president faces ceaseless criticism from Republicans and there are large numbers of migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico who are not easily returned, especially as global displacement grows from war, climate change and more. The immigration authority that the administration has been looking to use is outlined in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It gives a president broad leeway to block entry of certain immigrants into the U.S. if it would be “detrimental” to the U.S. national interest. Senate Republicans last week again blocked a bill that would have enshrined some of the same efforts into law. The vote was meant to underscore GOP resistance to the proposal even as Republicans have clamored for more restrictions and argued that Biden has not done enough to stem the flow of migrants entering into the U.S. ADVERTISEMENT The bipartisan bill had been negotiated for months and appeared, for a moment anyway, to be heading toward passage. It was even endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council and its president Brandon Judd, an avowed supporter of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. But Trump, concerned about handing Democrats an election-year win, called on Republicans to tank it, and they did. White House officials did not confirm the expected executive order. White House spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández said the administration “continues to explore a series of policy options and we remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system.” ADVERTISEMENT “While congressional Republicans chose to stand in the way of additional border enforcement, President Biden will not stop fighting to deliver the resources that border and immigration personnel need to secure our border,” he said. Congress this year approved funding for a total of 41,500 detention beds and increased money for immigration enforcement and removal operations by $1.2 billion over what the White House had initially requested. That included $106 million in more funding for programs that monitor immigrants in the asylum system through phone apps and ankle bracelets, rather than through detention. Those increases, negotiated after the collapse of the bipartisan deal, could pave the way for the administration to ratchet up immigration enforcement. Yet unlike legislative action that is binding, anything Biden does through executive action can be challenged in the courts, and will almost certainly be, so it not clear whether — or if — the clampdown on asylum would begin. The administration was weighing other actions too, including faster and tougher enforcement of the asylum process. The administration has generally paired proposed crackdowns with an expansion of legal paths elsewhere and was also planning to do so in the future, but not at the same time the new restrictions were announced, the people said. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Trump and Biden blame each other for illegal immigration. But Congress created it.

Presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump have agreed to debate, and there is no doubt immigration will feature prominently. We already know what they’ll say: Trump will insist Biden opened the floodgates, while Biden will blame Trump for torpedoing a bill to cut entries. They have taken the immigration debate back 100 years – the last time both parties wanted to slash immigration. In May 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed the National Origins Quota Act, which included the first permanent cap on legal immigration. This law laid the groundwork for a century of legal immigration restrictions. The fundamental elements of America’s system came from this law: a low overall cap and country-by-country limits, with preferences for relatives of U.S. citizens. This law has walled off the legal immigration system to most people who would like to come, leading to massive amounts of chaotic illegal immigration. In new research published by the Cato Institute, I show that the National Origins Quota Act resulted in immediate and lasting devastation to the legal immigration system. From 1888 to 1921, 98% of applicants for permanent residence were approved. Every year since 1924, a minority has been approved. By the 1930s, more than 90% were blocked annually, including Jews fleeing the Holocaust. Of 35 million immigration applications, only 3% will likely pass The Statue of Liberty in New York City used to welcome immigrants. In May 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed the National Origins Quota Act, which included the first permanent cap on legal immigration. From 1888 to 1921, 98% of applicants for permanent residence were approved, according to the Cato Institute. Every year since 1924, a minority has been approved. Even though Congress slowly began to open the system back up after World War II, its loosening of restrictions never undid the basic framework of the 1924 law. By 1995, more than 10 million requests were submitted. This year, the number has hit an unprecedented 35 million – only 3% of which will likely be approved, matching the lowest rate on record. It's not just that the United States admits a low percentage of applicants. The backlog is also so large that millions of people – likely a majority of pending applicants – will die before they can immigrate legally. There is no hope just around the corner. Even most of the highest-skilled applicants face the prospect of waiting more than a century for a green card. What migrant surge?No, America is not seeing an unprecedented surge in immigration. America’s century of restrictions didn’t just fail: It backfired. When most people can’t come and live here legally, many give up and come illegally. As a result, the United States has had to deal with decades of illegal immigration. Border Patrol has made nearly 60 million arrests from 1925 to 2024, including about 20 years with more than a million or more arrests. Illegal immigration results when legal immigration is too difficult Illegal immigration was a choice, and in the 1920s, everyone knew why it was happening. Congress had just passed a law to prohibit most immigration. Commentators analogized it to alcohol Prohibition, labeling human smuggling networks as “bootlegging in people.” There was no doubt that Congress had created the problem or that it could end it the way that it did with alcohol bootlegging: re-legalize immigration. Biden has the right border plan,but arbitrary caps have actually blocked legal migration Today, most people do not understand how difficult it is to immigrate legally. Only 41% of Americans believe illegal immigration happens because legal immigration is too difficult, according to Cato’s polling. In addition, 80% say immigration should take five years or less, yet we are still processing some family-sponsored applicants who applied before 9/11. Americans see undocumented immigrants without jobs in homeless shelters, and they have decided that we have too many immigrants. But immigrants are ending up in shelters because we don’t let them line up jobs and housing in advance of them coming, and they are prohibited from working legally for many months after they are released at the border. Immigration reduces US deficits and increases our GDP Despite all these issues, the Congressional Budget Office recently found that recent immigration will reduce deficits by $1 trillion and increase the size of the economy by $7 trillion. Immigration is working – or, more accurately, immigrants are working. It’s our legal system that’s broken. Indeed, we don’t have too many immigrants. We have too few. The United States has nearly 8.5 million open jobs and a record period of low unemployment rates. Our labor force would be declining without immigration at a time when we are tens of millions of workers short to pay into retirement systems and care for our elderly population. While some people claim that America’s policy is already “the most generous in the world,” the United States ranks in the bottom third of wealthy countries for its foreign-born share of the population. We let in more immigrants than any other country, but America is a huge country. We let in far fewer on a per-capita basis. For America to reach the foreign-born share of Canada, we’d need to let in 35 million immigrants tomorrow. Even admitting that many over five years and increasing immigration fivefold wouldn’t catch the U.S. foreign-born share up to our neighbor to the north. David J. Bier is the director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute. The United States has plenty of room to grow. The only question is whether our political institutions will allow it. A century of immigration restrictions hasn’t worked for America. It has made America a smaller and less prosperous country, but it hasn’t stopped immigration. It has made it more chaotic, disorderly and illegal. America should return to its pre-1924 traditions. If you’re willing to come legally, work and contribute, America should welcome you, just like it welcomed generations of immigrants a century ago. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Gallego’s Arizona Senate bid gets Hispanic Caucus’s first general election ad buy

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s campaign arm will make its first major general election ad buy on Wednesday, dropping $1.1 million on Spanish broadcast, radio and digital ad reservations for September to support Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in his Senate bid. The ad buy is the single largest purchase in the history of Bold PAC, the Hispanic Caucus’s campaign arm. “As the son of immigrants from Colombia and Mexico who grew up poor and took any job he could to help his family make ends meet, Ruben understands what Arizona families are going through. He turned to service, first as an infantryman in the Marine Corps and then as an elected official, because he wanted to give back to the country and communities that gave him so much,” said Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), a former Marine, like Gallego. “This investment is designed to help ensure that the Latino voters in Arizona who will make the difference in this race know that he’s the one who will never stop fighting for them.” Gallego, a former Bold PAC chairman, is running against Republican Kari Lake for the seat being vacated by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who won the seat as a Democrat but later left the party to become an independent. ADVERTISING Democrats are bracing for a difficult Senate election, where they’re all but certain to lose at least one seat of their already-slim majority, and will be defending six other competitive seats where Republicans will be on the offensive. Though 11 seats held by Republicans are up for reelection, they are all in reliably red states: Only Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.) and Ted Cruz (Texas) are facing any sort of substantial Democratic challenge. Beyond the Senate race, Arizona is also a competitive state for the presidential race, and Democrats are on the offensive in the House districts held by GOP Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani, both rated as toss-ups by the Cook Political Report. “A lot of people see Arizona as competitive this election cycle, and no doubt it is, but that is because of years and even decades of work on the ground. It is also very competitive this cycle because we have such a strong candidate on the ballot,” said Victoria McGroary, executive director of Bold PAC. Though Gallego fought an uphill battle to get buy-in from national Democrats to take on Sinema, he planted a flag early to edge her out to run as an independent — rather than in the Democratic primaries — if she decided to launch a reelection bid. Now party leadership is all in behind Gallego, a candidate tasked with raising turnout in a critical presidential battleground state. That buy-in, with investments in English-language media, is allowing Bold PAC to target their resources on Spanish and Spanglish media, an arena currently monopolized by the group. According to McGroary, the Bold PAC investment is the only Spanish broadcast campaign buy currently in the books in Arizona’s media markets, and reservations are filling up fast. “We know that the Latino community is going to decide the outcomes of races up and down the ballot, including the Arizona Senate race. And so as we are placing our reservations and designing our strategy, everything is focused on how are we communicating directly with the Latino voters that are going to make the difference in this race,” said McGroary. “Spanish is a huge priority for us. Spanglish is also a huge priority for us, and making sure that we’re reaching out to the Latino community, especially online, digitally, you know, where folks are getting their news, where they’re getting their information, so that we are connecting with them directly where they are, how they want to consume.” For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

USCIS Forms Update Notice

Good afternoon, We recently updated the following USCIS form(s): Form G-1055, Fee Schedule 05/29/2024 03:37 PM EDT Edition Date: 05/29/24. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page of Form G-1055, Fee Schedule.

Intake of Petitions, Applications, and Other Benefit Requests at the Texas Service Center

On May 28, 2024, the intake of petitions, applications, and other benefit requests at the Texas Service Center was temporarily suspended due to widespread and severe weather. In most instances, courier services will re-attempt delivery once the Texas Service Center re-opens; no further action from petitioners or applicants is required. If your petition or application is returned to you, you should refile at your earliest convenience. Petitioners or applicants affected by the intake disruption or by severe weather may request filing flexibilities, which USCIS can consider on a case-by-case basis.

Denver launches migrant support program in shift from short-term shelter

After months of responding to its growing migrant community by sheltering new arrivals for limited periods of time, Denver has begun rolling out a new strategy designed to help people transition into more stable lives in the city by providing six months of housing, job training, language instruction and legal support in filing asylum claims. Nearly 800 people were enrolled in the program as of Wednesday, with more expected to be added by the end of the month, Jon Ewing, a city spokesperson who manages communications for Denver’s newcomer response, said Wednesday. Denver, New York and Chicago have been struggling to accommodate migrant populations that have grown considerably over the past two years. The cities have been housing people in hotels, tents and other makeshift shelters and scrambling to assemble social safety nets without devastating their budgets. Chicago and New York have put stricter limits on how long people can stay in shelters and begun evicting those whose time is up. “Our goal was to take what people saw as a crisis and turn it into an opportunity," Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in an interview Wednesday. "We have people arriving in the city who desperately want to work, who have skills and talent and discipline. We have employers in the city who are starving to find employees, and they desperately want to hire them. What we wanted to do was to take those people that are looking to work and connect them to the training and the skills centered on jobs where we have the greatest need. So what we did is create this first-of-its-kind program in the country, which is this asylum-seeker program.” A volunteer, with back to camera, works with Venezuelan migrants at a computer desk layered with forms A volunteer with Juntos Center helps Venezuelan migrants apply for asylum and work permits in Denver, Colo., on Feb. 5.Helen H. Richardson / The Denver Post via Getty Images file Those enrolled in the Denver Asylum Seekers Program are migrants who were in Denver’s shelter system as of April and are applying for asylum, in which there is a six-month wait for work permits after they file applications, Ewing said. Johnston said, “We tried to use that six-month waiting period as an opportunity instead of a problem.” In addition to assistance with asylum applications, those enrolled in the program will receive workforce training, English classes, financial literacy instruction and the ability to get certifications needed for migrants to work in certain industries. Recommended U.S. NEWS Neighbors shocked by arrest of 81-year-old suspected 'serial slingshot shooter' U.S. NEWS Chad Daybell found guilty of murder in deaths of two kids and first wife “So when that work authorization comes, you already have the skills, the training, the authorization, the certification to step onto a job on Day One and be a huge asset to a Denver employer," he said. Since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began busing migrants to Democratic cities in 2022, about 42,000 have arrived in Denver. Most have chosen to relocate to other cities where they have friends or family. Of the roughly 800 people living in migrant shelters in Denver, about 530, most of whom are in the new program, were living in a hotel shelter as of Wednesday, Ewing said. About 200 are living in transitional housing and a shelter run by Catholic Charities, and 68 others are in short-term shelter, Ewing said. Some people have also already been moved into apartments. A family of Venezuelan migrants sit inside of their apartment living room A family of Venezuelan migrants at an apartment with their 14 other family members in Denver on Feb. 14.Hyoung Chang / Denver Post via Getty Images file Denver has far fewer people in its shelter system than Chicago and New York City. There were 7,233 migrants in Chicago shelters as of Wednesday, according to city data. The city said it has received more than 42,000 migrants since 2022. In New York City, there were more than 65,800 migrants and asylum-seekers in need of shelter, the city said in a statement last week, and nearly 200,000 migrants have arrived since 2022. ​​While there are more migrants in those cities, officials in Denver have said it has welcomed more people per capita. Ewing said the city’s pivot in policy has been made possible now that Denver is receiving fewer migrants, with about 76% of new arrivals “immediately taking onward travel to another destination,” allowing the city to focus on more intensive assistance for migrants seeking to remain there. In December, 144 charter buses with newly arrived migrants were sent to Denver, and its shelter population swelled to about 5,000, many of them families with children, Ewing said. That situation was untenable, and it left many migrants adrift in search of under-the-table jobs that were increasingly difficult to get, Ewing said. Image: A volunteer checks in an attendee during an orientation session for recent immigrants A volunteer checks in an attendee during an orientation session for recent immigrants on May 20 in Denver.David Zalubowski / AP “The goal is to provide those more sustainable services. It is for a smaller group of people than when we had 5,000 people in shelter, but it’s much more substantial, much more comprehensive, much more beneficial to them in the long run,” Ewing said. The city has spent about $70 million on its migrant response since 2022, with about $20 million to $25 million spent so far this year. Nearly $52 million of it was spent on shelter and housing, with shelter costing much more than housing, Ewing said. “The more we get away from operating shelters, the less we spend,” he said. “We initially projected we could spend up to $180 million in 2024 if we continued to shelter thousands of people over the course of the entire year.” The city has budgeted $90 million for its new arrivals program this year, “but the goal is to not spend that much,” he said. “Of course, we have no way of knowing what the fall or winter will hold, which is why we have to budget so much,” Ewing said. The budget includes $4 million for workforce training and supplemental rental assistance, as well as $5.6 million for case management, including asylum clinics and work authorization, Ewing said. Jeison Hurdado Pulgarin hands out donated clothes to a group Venezuelan migrants in a parking lot outside Colombian migrant Jeison Hurdado Pulgarin hands out donated clothes to Venezuelan migrants in the parking lot of a hotel in Denver on Feb. 5.Helen H. Richardson / MediaNews Group / The Denver Post via Getty Images file City officials have defended the $40 million budget cut that will help pay for their migrant response, saying about $20 million of the cuts would come from not hiring for vacant positions. The city has said that it has also been able to restore some city services and that the average cut to services was about 2% of agency operating budgets. Some have criticized the city’s proposal to cut $8 million from the police department, about 1.9% of its budget, while expanding services for migrants. The city has said that the cuts will not change the number of officers deployed on the street, that it has not changed its plans on recruiting, that $5 million of the proposed cuts would come from not filling open positions and that other cuts include measures like delaying new furniture purchases. Johnston said he hopes the program will spur other cities to take notice and potentially implement similar policies and procedures. “We do think we have a solution that every city can use,” he said. “Denver can’t solve this problem alone.” For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Trump Reveals Chilling New Details in Mass Deportation Plans

Donald Trump revealed new details of his horrific massive deportation plan at the Libertarian National Convention on Monday, where he was mostly booed by the crowd, saying he wants to grant cops who carry out mass deportation total immunity from misconduct investigations and lawsuits. Alt-right podcaster and beanie enthusiast Tim Pool interviewed Trump—because the Libertarian National Convention is nothing if not a fever dream—asking him, “I know that you’ve said there’s gonna be the largest deportation effort in your next term. How do we do it?” Trump rambled, as he does, about an estimated 15 to 17 million people he wants to deport—numbers that contradict existing data and that he seems to have just made up—who’ve entered the United States for asylum and job opportunities, baselessly accusing them of being “murderers … drug dealers … coming from mental institutions,” before finally saying he wants to use “local police” to enforce his mass deportation plans. “It will really be done with local police,” said Trump before devolving into a barely coherent tirade explaining his desire to provide immunity to his future deportation gestapo: Do you know, the respect has been taken away, the honor has been taken away from our police forces. They’re not allowed to do anything, and whether it’s libertarian or not libertarian, people have to have, you have to have law and order. You can’t have 500 people walking into a department store and just walking out with everything they have, and we have to give honor and respect back, and I believe immunity because, you know, so often when a police person does their job they end up with no pension, they end up with no house, they end up with no family. Everything’s taken away from them. They have to get their own lawyer. So we’re gonna give them back their dignity and their strength. Trump’s depiction of police accountability is an extremely exaggerated detailing of what could happen when someone with a cushy job loses that job for engaging in egregious violations of the law. His desire to shield cops from accountability builds on existing qualified immunity policies, which shield cops from being held personally liable for violating someone’s constitutional rights without a high-bar precedent. Under these policies, someone else in the same position has to have violated a person’s constitutional rights in the same way and have been held accountable for that violation—an intensely confusing policy that essentially functions to severely limit people’s ability to pursue misconduct lawsuits against cops who violate their constitutional rights. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Biden considers temporarily closing southern border to curb flow of migrant crossings

The Biden administration is preparing an executive action that would allow President Biden to temporarily shut down the U.S. southern border. This comes amid pressure from both sides of the aisle to curb the flow of border crossings. Our White House correspondent, Laura Barron-Lopez, has been covering this. And she joins me now. So, Laura, what do we know about this expected executive order? Laura Barron-Lopez: This executive action would use a section of U.S. immigration law, Amna, that's known as 212(f) authority that gives President Biden the powers to suspend the entry of migrants temporarily. It's going to be expected to be similar language that was used in the bipartisan Senate border deal that failed. For example, if there is an average of 5,000 migrants encountered each day over the course of seven days, then this authority would be triggered, and President Biden would be able to shut down the border until those encounters fall. Now, the White House and a White House official told me that no final decisions have been made about an executive action that is potentially being considered. But sources told me that this specific executive action could come as early as next week after the Mexican elections on June 2. Amna Nawaz: So, when you look at who has been encountered at the U.S. southern border recently, who would this kind of executive action impact? Laura Barron-Lopez: Sources told me that this executive action is expected to apply to most migrants, but unaccompanied children often receive humanitarian exemptions in an executive action like this. The big picture, Amna, is that this is going to restrict who can seek asylum ultimately. And when you look at the picture on the southern border right now, it's important to note that, since December of 2023, the total number of encounters by Border Patrol at the southern border has decreased from almost 250,000 to roughly 129,000 in April this year, according to Customs and Border Protection. And most of those are single adults. Amna Nawaz: So, I know you have been talking to immigration lawyers, to your Democratic sources. How is news of this expected order going down among them? Laura Barron-Lopez: One immigration advocate I spoke to said that the administration should expect legal challenges to this. I also spoke to Melissa Adamson, who is an immigration lawyer for the National Center for Youth Law, who said that closing the border could ultimately end up being very harmful to children and to families. Melissa Adamson, National Center for Youth Law: So what we saw in 2020 was that closing the border exposes children to more exploitation, to kidnapping, to physical and sexual violence while they're stranded in Mexico and they wait to cross the border. And it also leads to increased family separation, because if family units aren't allowed to lawfully present, they may make the impossible choice of trying to send their children across the border alone as unaccompanied minors to try to seek safety in the United States. We know that, if people can't cross at ports of entry, then they're forced to seek more and more dangerous routes in mountainous areas, in remote desert locations. And when that happens, we know that it leads to more injuries and illness and death as people try to get into the United States. Laura Barron-Lopez: When I asked the administration about concerns like that from Melissa Adamson, they said that the president is trying to balance both humane pathways of entry for migrants, as well as enforcing control at the border and enforcing border security. And the White House spokesperson said that they're constantly exploring policy options for the president to take, but they specifically took aim at Republicans for ultimately killing the bipartisan border deal. Another expert I spoke to, Erika Pinheiro, who runs Al Otro Lado, which is a nonprofit that helps migrants, helps refugees at the border, said that, no matter what, if this executive action is implemented, migrants will continue to come, and that, when she talks to many migrants at the border, they often are not aware of restrictions that are put in place by administrations, be it this administration's or prior ones. Amna Nawaz: So we know that real immigration reform, meaningful immigration reform, has to come through Congress. As you mentioned, the president tried to do that through Congress. There was that bipartisan Senate bill that Republicans backed away from. Give us a sense of what kind of political pressure President Biden is under right now on this specific issue. Laura Barron-Lopez: Multiple Hill sources told me that members of Hispanic Caucus leadership met with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as White House staff, last week at the White House. They talked about this coming executive order. They also pressed the president, saying that they wished that he would consider other executive actions that could essentially expand work permits for migrants that are already in the United States. They also raised concerns about the president's outreach to Latino voters. And some Hispanic lawmakers told me that they ultimately worry that this executive order, as well as language in the bipartisan border bill that a number of Democrats supported in the Senate, would set a standard for future actions, future asylum actions that could be more severe, more restrictive. Now, again, the president is balancing those concerns with those of moderate Democrats that are facing potentially tough reelections who want tougher actions taken at the border, as well as facing attacks from Republicans who are falsely claiming, Amna, to stir up support among their base, that violent crime has increased because of immigration, despite the fact that the data doesn't show that. And for a sense of how voters rank it, a Gallup poll from April 2024 found that immigration was the top issue facing the U.S. for Americans they surveyed, outranking the economy. And immigration, Amna, has repeatedly been a top issue for many voters this year so far. Amna Nawaz: All right. That is our White House correspondent, Laura Barron-Lopez. Laura, thank you for your reporting. Laura Barron-Lopez: Thank you. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Mayorkas says some migrants "try to game" the U.S. asylum system

El Paso, Texas — In an interview with CBS News, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said some migrants coming to the U.S.-Mexico border are trying to "game" the U.S. asylum system, echoing a statement often made by Republicans but rarely expressed by Biden administration officials. "The reality is that some people do indeed try to game the system," Mayorkas told CBS News in El Paso last Thursday. "That does not speak to everyone whom we encounter, but there is an element of it, and we deal with it accordingly." Mayorkas made the comment in response to a question about concerns some Americans have expressed about the situation at the southern border, where U.S. officials have reported record levels of migrant apprehensions over the past three years. Immigration has become one of President Biden's worst-polling issues, as well as a top concern for voters heading into November's presidential election. For years, Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have accused migrants of cheating or abusing the U.S. asylum process to stay in the country indefinitely, arguing that restrictions or bans on asylum need to be enacted to deter those who don't qualify from filing weak or non-existent cases. When speaking of reforming the U.S. asylum system, however, Democrats and Biden administration officials like Mayorkas have mainly talked about the need to speed up the processing of claims, to quickly grant asylum to those who qualify for protection and deport those who don't. U.S. law allows migrants physically on American soil to request asylum, even if they enter the country unlawfully. But applicants have to prove they are fleeing persecution because of their nationality, race, religion, political views or membership in a social group. Many migrants who initially apply for asylum are ultimately unable to meet the legal threshold to receive it, government figures show. symbol 00:00 02:00 Read More During the interview last week, Mayorkas said a border security proposal he helped broker with a small bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Senate "would have equipped us with more tools to deal with those individuals who seek to game the system." The legislation, which has collapsed twice due to insufficient Republican support, would raise the threshold for passing initial asylum interviews and create a presidential power to shut down asylum processing in between ports of entry when illegal border crossings soar. "We would drive traffic to our ports of entry in an orderly way," Mayorkas said about the bill, which would preserve asylum processing at official border crossings when the presidential "shutdown" authority is triggered or invoked. The Biden administration and Mayorkas have faced a tidal wave of criticism from Republican lawmakers over the unprecedented levels of migration to the U.S. southern border in recent years. Mayorkas became the first Cabinet official to be impeached since the 1870s in February, when House Republicans accused him of breaching the public's trust and failing to fully enforce federal immigration laws. Mayorkas said the accusation that Biden administration policy has encouraged desperate migrants to journey to the U.S. is "false." "The reasons why people leave their countries of origin are those with which we are quite familiar: extraordinary poverty, violence, extreme weather events, corruption, suppression by authoritarian regimes. Those reasons and more," Mayorkas said. While Mr. Biden came into office vowing to "restore" the asylum system, his administration has embraced some limits on asylum, including a rule that presumes migrants are ineligible for refuge if they failed to seek protection in a third country. Mr. Biden is also considering an executive action that would attempt to suspend asylum processing when there's an influx in illegal border entries. Migrant crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped by over 50% this month since setting all-time highs in December, a trend American officials said mainly stems from Mexico's efforts to stop migrants and increased deportations by the Biden administration. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Immigration attorney worries proposed changes will render asylum unattainable

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — The Biden administration this month announced plans to speed up asylum proceedings and quickly remove those who don’t qualify, something critics say is similar to the Trump-era Title 42, a public health order that allowed immigration officers to quickly expel migrants before they could ask for asylum. Immigration attorney Maria Salguero believes the new rules and other proposals further limit an asylum process that, she says, currently has three “lawful pathways.” “Someone who enters through regular channels with a tourist visa or with parole, which is a special permit to come into the United States; nationals from certain countries such as Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela; or they present themselves at the border with a CBP One appointment,” Salguero said. ADVERTISING Border bill fails Senate test vote as Democrats seek to underscore Republican resistance But she and other immigration attorneys and migrant advocates are worried President Joe Biden wants to get around these pathways by issuing executive orders. Maria Salguero is an immigration attorney with the Immigrant Legal Defense Center in Santa Maria, Calif. (Salvador Rivera/Border Report) One would force migrants to seek asylum in the first country they cross on their way to the U.S. This is expected to make most migrants ineligible for asylum. Migrants with criminal records will also have little chance of getting asylum, according to the president’s plan. Another idea is to have officers make the initial screenings and determine if a migrant has a legitimate claim for asylum. If not, asylum-seekers would be expelled to their country of origin almost immediately. “I don’t know if the intention is to be more difficult, but I think the effect definitely is,” said Salguero, who works for the Immigrant Legal Defense Center in Santa Maria, California. “I see folks who are coming to this country with valid asylum claims that most of the time are not able to articulate their claims.” In announcing the new expedited docket process, the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department said the effort would grant immigration relief or protections to noncitizens with valid claims. However, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said it is ultimately up to Congress to “fix our broken immigration system.” “This administrative step is no substitute for the sweeping and much-needed changes that the bipartisan Senate bill would deliver, but in the absence of Congressional action we will do what we can to most effectively enforce the law and discourage irregular migration,” Mayorkas said. Salguero believes screening asylum-seekers a lot faster will make it harder for migrants to get legal representation in a timely manner. “There’s a reason why statistically it is eight times more likely for a person to win asylum in immigration court when they have representation from an attorney.” One way or another, Salguero says it’s likely nothing will happen until the election cycle is over. “A lot of immigration attorneys and advocates are nervous about the elections coming up this November, anything can happen.” Senate downs border bill for second time On Thursday, Senate Republicans again blocked the bi-partisan bill meant to lower the number of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. It failed for the first time back in February. Since then, the Biden administration has been considering executive orders to expedite the processing and potential removal of migrants. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Biden administration sues states over immigration laws

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued two more states this month to prevent them from implementing new state laws targeting immigrants. Why it matters: The lawsuits against Iowa and Oklahoma — in addition to one against Texas — signal that the Biden administration is taking an aggressive stance against states taking immigration matters into their own hands. Yet border security and immigration are major vulnerabilities for Biden as polls show they are a rising concern among voters ahead of this year's election. Catch up quick: Iowa and Oklahoma joined Texas in passing new state laws that charge undocumented immigrants with either a criminal misdemeanor or a felony for entering the country without authorization. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, both Republicans, have said the moves were necessary given a surge of people seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The DOJ filed suit against Iowa on May 9 and against Oklahoma on May 21, saying the laws are unconstitutional. The DOJ is also in court against a Texas law passed last year that would allow state authorities to arrest and deport people suspected of entering the country illegally. That law, which critics warn will lead to racial profiling, is on hold pending the outcome of the lawsuit. What they're saying: "Oklahoma cannot disregard the U.S. Constitution and settled Supreme Court precedent," Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said in a statement. Boynton said the same thing about Iowa's law. The other side: Stitt says Oklahoma was forced to act since the "Biden administration refuses to do its job to secure our borders." That was echoed in a statement from Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird: "When Biden fails to do his job and secure our border, states have to take matters into their own hands." Yes, but: Some local law enforcement groups warn that any new state immigration laws would make it harder for police to fight crime. "This law has the potential to destroy the connections and relationships we have built within our local immigrant communities and set us back for many years to come," the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police and the Metro Law Enforcement Agency Leaders said in a joint statement. The intrigue: Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed a new law that requires law enforcement agencies in Georgia to notify federal authorities when undocumented immigrants are arrested. The law also requires local and state police to identify, arrest and detain people suspected of being undocumented. What we're watching: The Texas case is likely to make it to the Supreme Court. Subscribe to Axios Latino to get vital news about Latinos and Latin America, delivered to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Trump is pledging to deport millions. These employers are proposing a different solution

It can take months for Lisa Winton to find the skilled machinists she needs to build the equipment that fabricates tubes and coax cables for her customers. She knows there’s a bigger pool of experienced workers out there, but she can’t hire them because they are undocumented immigrants. Winton, who co-founded and runs Winton Machine Company in Suwanee, Georgia, depends on immigrant workers – about a quarter of her 40 employees were not born in the US. Some have been in the country for many years, and all are authorized to work, she said, noting that she turns away applicants who ask to be paid off the books. Unlike larger competitors, her company is too small to help promising candidates apply for work authorization, which puts her at a disadvantage. That’s why Winton is among the hundreds of business leaders pushing the Biden administration to allow more undocumented immigrants who have been living in the US for years to work legally. Many of them already have jobs, are more connected to their communities and have a better command of English – making them more desirable employees than recent arrivals, she said. “If you’re going to give all these people flowing over the border work permits, let’s focus on the people who’ve been here for a long time, paying into the system,” Winton said. “I need more legal people coming to me for jobs.” Lisa Winton Courtesy Lisa Winton Lisa Winton, CEO and co-founder of Winton Machine Company in Georgia, would like more longtime undocumented immigrants to get work permits so she can hire from a larger pool of experienced workers. Spearheaded by the American Business Immigration Coalition and joined by employers, federal lawmakers, local officials and advocates, the drive is asking President Joe Biden to provide work permits to more long-term undocumented residents, as he has done for certain migrant arrivals. The groups have held multiple news conferences and rallies over the past year to bring attention to the issue. Employers have long sought to help fill their labor needs through immigration reform, but Congress remains gridlocked on the issue. The coalition argues Biden can do more through executive action under current law, including by expanding work permits to spouses of US citizens. Similar actions by Biden and former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, however, have spurred lawsuits. The coming presidential election is adding urgency to the coalition’s plea. Trump recently told Time magazine that he plans to deport millions of undocumented people if he wins in November. ​“President Trump will put America and the American worker first,” said Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman. “He will ​seal the border, stop the invasion and expand economic opportunity for American citizens, not illegal aliens.” It’s a campaign promise that worries many employers who depend on immigrant workers. With the election only months away, the Biden administration is discussing providing work permits to undocumented spouses of American citizens and legal residents, as well as to certain other immigrants who have lived in the US for many years, according to sources involved in the conversations. Asked about the discussions, a White House spokesperson said that the administration is “constantly evaluating possible policy options.” “The administration remains committed to ensuring those who are eligible for relief can receive it quickly and to building an immigration system that is fairer and more humane,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. Millions of undocumented workers About 7.8 million unauthorized immigrants were in the labor force in 2021, up slightly from 2019, according to the Pew Research Center. They make up just under 5% of the workforce. Many use fake documents or are paid off the books. Some industries employ a sizeable share of undocumented workers, though exact numbers are hard to come by. About 40% of hired farm crop workers are not legally authorized to work, according to the Labor Department’s National Agricultural Workers Survey, though this could be a significant undercount. One in five undocumented workers are employed in a construction-related sector, according to a Center for American Progress report. A significant number of foreign workers in the dairy industry lack proper documentation, according to the National Milk Producers Federation. Courtesy Steve Obert Many dairy farmers, including Steve Obert in Indiana, depend on immigrants to take care of their herds. Other immigrants have received work permits through various US Citizenship and Immigration Services programs, such as Temporary Protected Status, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, and Humanitarian Parole. Asylum-seekers can obtain work permits 180 days after they file for asylum. Mayors in several northern US cities, where migrants are arriving, have pushed the Biden administration to expedite the new arrivals’ work authorizations so they can get jobs and not rely on public assistance. More than 2 million people have work authorization through these USCIS programs, though their status is fluid, according to Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for lower immigration. Expanding work authorization to more longtime immigrants will make it easier for businesses to fill job openings, as well as bring stability to those who may already employ undocumented workers, said Rebecca Shi, executive director of the American Business Immigration Coalition, which has 1,400 employers, associations and executives as members. “Our employers started asking, ‘Hey, what about our existing employees? People that have been working on our farm, milking our cows at 3 a.m. for the last 20 years, or people that are designing semiconductors in these fabrication facilities and have very high skills,’” she said. These businesses say they can’t keep up with consumer demand without immigrant workers. Americans just don’t want the jobs Nearly 80% of the nearly 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the US in 2022 entered before 2010, according to a recent report from the Department of Homeland Security. With work permits, the immigrants will be able to get better jobs that pay more – resulting in a boost to federal, state and local tax revenue, Shi said. While it’s easy to understand why both employers and undocumented workers would want to legalize the arrangement, expanding work authorization could hurt Americans, Vaughan said. Instead, she argued, it would be better to lure back the millions of people who have dropped out of the labor force. “If we could tap this population, we could meet the needs of a lot of these employers,” she said. “Creating a situation where it’s easier for employers to bypass available US workers is going to create other social problems.” Trump’s promise to deport millions Trump has repeatedly said on the campaign trail that he would conduct “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” if he is reelected. He made similar promises during his first run for the presidency. During his first term, Trump undertook more than 400 executive actions on immigration, according to the Migration Policy Institute. His administration quadrupled the number of worksite investigations and broadened the types of immigrants subject to enforcement actions, including removal. Promises Donald Trump has made so far in his campaign for a second term While arrests and deportations of immigrants living in the US increased, they remained “far short” of the levels seen under Trump’s predecessors, Tara Watson, an economics professor at Williams College, wrote in an EconoFact post in 2021. “Relative to the late Bush and early Obama eras, the Trump administration removed a modest number of immigrants from the nation’s interior,” she wrote. “Instead, the administration increased the visibility and unpredictability of enforcement activity directed at unauthorized individuals living within the U.S. and expanded the use of detention as part of immigration enforcement.” If Trump wins in November, his administration officials would likely be able to quickly ramp up detentions and deportations since they would have experience from his first term, said Kerri Talbot, executive director of the Immigration Hub, an advocacy group that works with Congress and the administration on a pro-immigrant agenda. Trump’s first-term policies had an impact on businesses that rely on immigrant labor. For instance, it was harder for dairy farmers in Indiana to find workers during his first term, said Steve Obert, a fifth-generation farmer in the state and executive director of Indiana Dairy Producers. If Trump wins the 2024 election and carries out his promise, it will hurt farmers, deport taxpayers and break up families, he said. Courtesy Steve Obert All of Indiana dairy farmer Steve Obert's employees are authorized to work, but he is among the business leaders advocating for more work permits for longtime undocumented residents. All of Obert’s 15 non-family employees are foreign born and have work permits. But he knows that undocumented workers contribute a lot to the industry, as well as to the communities where they live. He’s advocating for allowing these folks to work legally so they can live without a cloud over them and so that dairy farmers can build experienced, stable workforces to care for their herds. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

US judge blocks Florida law that bars transporting migrants into state

WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge temporarily blocked part of a Florida law on Wednesday that imposes criminal penalties for willfully transporting people who lack legal immigration status into the state. The law, which took effect in 2023, amended the crime of human smuggling to classify such cases as felonies. U.S. District Judge Roy Altman cited testimony from the plaintiffs that they were "now too afraid to travel in and out of Florida with their undocumented friends or family members - for fear of being arrested or prosecuted or of having their family members deported." Advertisement · Scroll to continue Report this ad Altman, an appointee of Republican former President Donald Trump, blocked the law pending the outcome of a lawsuit by the Farmworker Association of Florida and seven people who say they have been impacted. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, made immigration a central theme of his failed presidential campaign and has continued to prioritize the issue, a top concern for voters in the run-up to the Nov. 5 U.S. elections. Advertisement · Scroll to continue Report this ad The Florida law also allocated funds to move migrants without lawful status out of the state, restricted access to ID cards, and required more businesses to use an electronic system to validate a person's eligibility to work. The litigation only challenged the part of the law dealing with transport of migrants. In a statement, lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that represent the plaintiffs praised the ruling as a major victory for Floridians. 00:02 Legacy fast food hit by consumer squeeze The video player is currently playing an ad. "This order recognizes the irreparable harm (the law) is causing immigrants, families, and their communities by unconstitutionally usurping the powers of the federal government to subject them to cruel criminal punishment," said Amien Kacou, a staff attorney for the ACLU's Florida chapter. The Florida governor's office did not respond to a request for comment. Florida's law is part of a nationwide effort by Republican officials to address an increase in illegal border crossings in recent years that they say President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has failed to stem. Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma have passed laws allowing local officials to arrest, prosecute, and order the deportation of people who lack legal immigration status. The Biden administration and civil rights groups have sued to block those laws, saying they interfere with federal enforcement of immigration laws, as several other states consider adopting similar measures. Civil rights groups say Florida's ban on migrant transport will place thousands of people, including many U.S. citizens, at risk of being arrested for simple acts such as driving a relative to a doctor's appointment or going on a family vacation. Altman said on Wednesday the law is likely invalid because it "extends beyond the state's authority to make arrests for violations of federal immigration law and, in so doing, intrudes into territory that's preempted" by U.S. law. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Senate border bill tees up key campaign opportunity for Democrats Riley Beggin USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The Senate shot down a border security bill Thursday that was clearly doomed to fail – but provided a key opportunity for vulnerable Democrats to stake out a position that may protect them this fall. It marks the start of a phase of Congress when passing substantive policy is all but impossible until compromising on tough politically-fraught legislation becomes slightly easier after the November election. Instead, leaders focus on passing safe bills – such as naming new post offices and confirming non-controversial federal judges – and helping out their vulnerable members who face tough re-elections by giving them the chance to vote on bills that may resonate with voters. “The angle of analysis ought to be, ‘would it be a good 30-second ad?’” said Mordecai Lee, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The border bill killed Thursday with a 43-50 vote was negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators over the winter as a carrot to bring Republicans on to the foreign aid supplemental bill that would eventually send $95 billion to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide The sweeping border package would shorten the timeframe for consideration of asylum claims, make it harder for migrants to qualify and create a new temporary policy to shut down processing of applications from people who crossed illegally if certain crossings reach a threshold. President Joe Biden has endorsed the bill and encouraged GOP leaders to adopt it. It was initially supported by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and a sizable portion of the GOP conference. But former President Donald Trump began railing against the legislation as he became the presumptive Republican 2024 nominee and the border proved to be a salient election year issue. Senate Republicans quickly closed ranks and the bill failed in February. Migrants seeking asylum in the United States cross the Rio Bravo on the border of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on March 19, 2024. Migrants stranded in Mexico were informed that the US Supreme Court has authorized a Texas law that allows state authorities to detain foreigners without papers. Ciudad Juárez, bordering El Paso, Texas, is one of the Mexican borders most affected. The law called SB4 empowers Texas security forces to arrest migrants in the state who cannot prove that they crossed the border legally. The regulations provide for penalties of up to 20 years in prison and authorize judges to expel foreigners without papers to Mexico. (Photo by HERIKA MARTINEZ / AFP) (Photo by HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images) ORIG FILE ID: 2089868450 Both sides point the finger at politics Democrats hammered their Republican peers’ reversal as a show of hypocrisy. Biden pledged to remind voters of it “every day” until the election. “The same bipartisan bill that Donald Trump killed saying ‘please, blame it on me.’ So blame it on him, make sure you do,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. said Tuesday. “Those who say we need to act on the border will get a chance to show this week that they’re serious about fixing the problem.” He was referring to his Republican colleagues, who would go on to vote against the bill in large numbers. They cite concerns that the bill doesn’t go far enough to restrict the border, and say Biden can take action on his own that would make a difference. But Schumer’s statement also applies to vulnerable Democrats – Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Jon Tester of Montana, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Jacky Rosen of Nevada – who need to show that they have taken action on an issue that is consistently ranked among the most important to voters. “Certainly we have a broken immigration system, and this measure was negotiated between Republicans and Democrats,” said Baldwin. “I support it and think it’s a really important step to bring order to something that has been lacking that.” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who leads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said campaigns are about explaining this kind of dichotomy: "A campaign is about putting out what sort of action individuals are taking. In this case, our incumbents are stepping up to have strong border security in this country." The bill got fewer votes than it did in February, with Democratic Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J. and Laphonza Butler, D-Calif., flipping to a no along with GOP Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Mitt Romney, R-Utah, James Lankford, R-Okla., and independent Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema. Nobody switched their vote to yes. Some Democrats have raised concerns that it doesn’t include major liberal priorities, such as a pathway to citizenship for undocumented adults brought to the United States by their parents as children. “If we are going to do work in the immigration area, we’d like more security and a pathway to citizenship for people who are working hard for the United States of America,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Republicans, in turn, said Democrats were pulling a political move by forcing another vote on the same legislation. McConnell called the effort a “gimmick” and GOP Whip Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. said: “The reason all of a sudden they’re interested in doing something – or at least appearing to be doing something – is because they know they’ve got a big political vulnerability on this.” Even Lankford, the chief GOP negotiator who helped craft the bill, said ahead of the vote that he planned to vote against it because there have been no efforts to change the legislation to garner more votes since February. “It’s not real,” he said. “There’s no negotiations trying to make this thing right at all.” Waukesha, Wisconsin | Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on May 1, 2024 in Waukesha, Wis. Much of his speech focused on immigration and the economy. Messaging bills across the Capitol Bills that won’t become law but provide some electoral use for vulnerable members aren’t contained to immigration or to the Senate. The Senate plans to consider a bill next week that would guarantee a right to contraception – a major Democratic priority that is sure to be stopped by Republicans in the closely-divided chamber, where 60 votes are needed to pass legislation. Reproductive rights have proven a salient political issue that favors Democrats since Roe v. Wade was overturned. And last week the Republican-controlled House passed a bill that would force the Biden Administration to continue sending bombs to Israel, forcing the chamber’s Democrats to take another vote on the controversial foreign policy topic. The House also passed legislation Thursday that would eliminate a Washington, D.C. law that allows non-citizens to vote in local elections – a bill that stands no chance of passage in the Senate or getting signed by Biden. House GOP Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. told reporters that people who work at foreign embassies shouldn’t be allowed to vote in America’s elections. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. “That's something I think most Americans agree with,” he said. “We're going to find out who here in Congress agrees with that when we have a vote on that bill tomorrow.” For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Senate border bill vote fails again as Democrats seek to shift blame to GOP

Washington — The Senate on Thursday failed for a second time to advance a bipartisan border security measure that Republicans first blocked earlier this year after former President Donald Trump came out against it. In the 43 to 50 vote, the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance in the upper chamber. The outcome was expected, and Democrats are trying to use Republicans' opposition to shift public opinion in their favor as polls show voters are critical of President Biden's handling of immigration. Border security has been a central theme of the Republican platform heading into the November election. "The contrast between Democrats and Republicans is clear today and will be even clearer in November. Democrats want to fix the border and get something done. Republicans want to give speeches, let the border fester and do absolutely nothing to fix the problem," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Thursday afternoon. Republicans have "no good explanation" for why they won't support the bill "other than Donald Trump told them to do a 180-degree about-face," Schumer said. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, argued earlier in the day that Republicans who voted against the measure "chose to preserve chaos at the border" and "now this crisis is on them." At a news conference on the issue Wednesday, Schatz expressed anger at his Republican colleagues, saying they previously demanded that Democrats "get serious about the border." "Some of the Republicans that I respect the most were really forceful with us, and so we listened," he said. "We developed a piece of legislation that I don't love, but I know is tough enough to get the job done. Yet they abandoned ship because Donald Trump told them to do so." The border bill Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on May 21, 2024. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on May 21, 2024. ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES After months of negotiations, Republicans and Democrats reached a compromise in February that would have been the first comprehensive border security policy overhaul in decades. It would have given the president far-reaching powers to restrict unlawful border crossings and tightened asylum rules, among other provisions. Republicans had long insisted the measure was necessary for their support of additional aid to Ukraine. But Trump urged his allies to vote against it and it fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate. Congress has since approved more aid to Ukraine, with Republican support, as part of a broader foreign aid package. Republicans have argued that the president already has the power to stop the flow of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border, claiming that the bipartisan deal to expand his authority would do little. "Unfortunately, it doesn't matter what law is on the books if the administration is not going to enforce the ones that already exist," Sen Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said Thursday in a floor speech. In a statement after Thursday's vote, Mr. Biden said Republicans "put partisan politics ahead of our country's national security." "Congressional Republicans do not care about securing the border or fixing America's broken immigration system. If they did, they would have voted for the toughest border enforcement in history," he said, adding that he is "committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system." House Republican leadership said earlier this week that the bill was "dead on arrival" in the lower chamber in the unlikely event that it made it out of the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, called the vote a waste of time and an attempt "to throw an election-year Hail Mary." The compromise measure was negotiated by Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican; Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat; and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent. Lankford, one of four Republicans who voted in February to advance the measure, did not support it this time, calling it a "prop." "Today is a political messaging exercise," he said during debate on the bill. "That doesn't help us as a country." He called on Democrats and Republicans to continue to work toward finding a bipartisan solution. Sinema criticized the procedural vote as "political theater" and "a show vote whose sole purpose is to point the finger back at the other party." "We don't leave today with a political victory," she said. "No one wins. No one gets the higher ground. Instead, we're saying to each other, don't step out. Don't try to solve big problems. Stay in your partisan corner." Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, pushed back on criticism that the vote was simply to bolster Democrats' messaging on the border. "It is far more than a messaging vote. It will have tangible specific results in border security," Blumenthal told reporters Wednesday. Later in the day, in a floor speech, Blumenthal said Republicans refused to support the measure in February because they wanted to campaign on border issues. "So for Republican colleagues now [to] claim that politics is the reason we're here, well, yes — their politics, their presumptive presidential nominee saying that they should not vote for it because of the political advantage they would have from keeping it as an issue," he said. But as Democrats seek to shift the blame to Republicans, they also lost support within their own party. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey voted against it, saying the bill "includes several provisions that will violate Americans' shared values" and "misses key components that can go much further in solving the serious immigration problems facing our nation." Alan He and Willie Inman contributed reporting. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Biden blasts Trump's "unified Reich" video: "That's Hitler's language"

President Biden's political operation brought in more than $51 million in April, the campaign said Monday — well short of the $76 million that former President Trump's campaign said it raised with the Republican Party. Why it matters: The latest figures show that Biden still has a cash advantage. But Trump and the Republican National Committee may be closing the gap on Biden's fundraising lead. The Biden campaign reported ending the month with $192 million in cash on hand, which it said was more than any Democratic candidate in history at this point in the cycle. That's roughly the same as the campaign's cash-on-hand total from last month. By the numbers: Biden's April haul is less than the roughly $90 million the campaign and DNC raised in March, a total that was buoyed by a star-studded Radio City fundraiser with former Presidents Obama and Clinton and Biden's State of the Union address. The Biden campaign and DNC said they raised $53 million in February, ending with $155 million cash on hand. Zoom in: The Biden campaign has held a sustained cash advantage over Trump, who started the year at a huge deficit and continues to spend millions to fight his legal battles. Trump's April fundraising haul was largely carried by his record-breaking $50.5 million fundraiser at investor John Paulson's Palm Beach mansion, which set a fundraiser record for a single event. The Trump campaign has not released cash-on-hand totals across all of its committees. What they're saying: "Trump's operation continues to burn through cash and lag behind our growing and aggressive campaign, with no ground game and no demonstrable interest in talking to the voters they need to win," Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in the announcement. "We're taking nothing for granted, but only our campaign is doing the required work every single day to earn voters' support this November." The Biden campaign said a majority of its April fundraising was from grassroots donors. The other side: Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump and the RNC "significantly outraised Biden and the Democrats in the month of April, thanks to the support of millions of small-dollar donors from every state across the country." "President Trump's fundraising haul over Biden is especially remarkable when you consider he has been confined to a courtroom for nearly 9 hours a day over the past four weeks fighting against Biden's Trial," Leavitt said. Flashback: Trump raised $62 million in April 2020, the first full month of the COVID pandemic, while Biden raised $60 million. Obama raised $44 million during the same period of his 2012 presidential campaign. What to watch: The Biden campaign has several fundraisers scheduled, including one next month in Los Angeles with celebrity guests George Clooney and Julia Roberts expected to attend. Go deeper: Trump's Truth Social loses $328 million in the first quarter For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.

Communities are wary as an appeals court weighs legality of Texas immigration law

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Near the altar of the Iglesia Luterana San Lucas, a crumpled blue and white Bible sits in a place of honor, protected by a plastic display case. "A group of immigrants had it and they told us that the person who carried it lost their life in the river," Pastor Julio Vasquez explains. Flipping through the book, it falls open to a psalm titled 'Un grito de angustia,' – a cry of anguish. "This is the reflection of the suffering of the immigrants and at the same time the reflection of the hope of the immigrants," Vasquez says. Sponsor Message On this Sunday morning in April, he has prepared a Spanish language service for worshipers convened in the small Lutheran church just three miles from the U.S.-Mexican border. "Let's pray for our migrant brothers and sisters," Vasquez says in his opening prayer. "[For] those who have fled their countries due to war, delinquency, poverty, governments who are not doing the work." Vasquez says many in this congregation come from Mexico and know people who have migrated to the U. S.– some on valid visas, and others without authorization. Pastor Julio Vasquez reads from the altar of the Iglesia Luterana San Lucas in Eagle Pass, Texas during a Sunday service on April 7, 2024. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán/NPR Living in a binational community is part of the identity of residents here. Eagle Pass shares three international border crossings with Piedras Negras, Mexico. About 95% of its population is Hispanic of Mexican descent. Lately, the Del Rio sector of the border, which includes the city of Eagle Pass, has been the epicenter of Texas's fight with the federal government over immigration. Last year, this area saw the highest number of migrant crossings along the Southern border. The number of unauthorized crossings has drastically decreased since its peak in December 2023, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. But on the streets of Eagle Pass, there's still an oversized presence of Border Patrol, state troopers, National Guard and local police. Sponsor Message Border communities like this one now await the fate of a state law that allows police to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. If found guilty, a magistrate judge could expel that person to Mexico— even if they are not Mexican. The Biden Administration sued the state of Texas over the law, known as SB4, arguing that only the federal government can create immigration law. While the case is pending, SB4 hasn't been enforced. But a ruling is expected soon, and that's making immigrant communities in Texas uneasy – especially coupled with another measure passed by the Texas legislature that would punish anyone found to have been aiding someone who is in the U.S. illegally. During Sunday's homily, Vazquez confronts these anxieties with a lesson about how God wants to bring peace to people's minds and souls. "All of these immigration problems and how they want to detain us just for having a Hispanic face," he tells the congregation. The sermon hit home for 85-year-old Carlota Riojas, an 85-year-old retired shoemaker who says she used to give rides to women with little children walking through downtown. That's what neighbors do, but she's afraid to do it anymore. "You would get punished for giving a ride to someone who is undocumented," Riojas explains in Spanish. She says her community is used to interacting with border patrol agents and law enforcement from other federal agencies — many of whom live in Eagle Pass. But the heavy presence of the Texas Department of Public Safety and the National Guard creates a different environment. Rashaan Soto, 19, poses in front of a section of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas on April 6,. 2024. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán Rashaan Soto, a 19-year–old community college student, has seen his hometown changed in the last few years. He now prepares anytime he leaves home. "Everywhere I go, I always carry my state ID with me," Soto said. "I was born and raised here in Eagle Pass and, why would I need to prove my residency if I was born and raised here?" Sponsor Message Immigration is a hot-button issue in Texas Curbing illegal immigration has been a centerpiece of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's political platform. Three years ago he launched Operation Lone Star, which deployed the state's National Guard to patrol the border and authorized physical barriers including buoys in the Rio Grande. To date, the state has spent $11 billion dollars on the effort. Several pro-immigrant and civil rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union argue the state law could lead to racial profiling. Abbott declined to comment for this story, but at a bill-signing ceremony in Brownsville, he dismissed concerns of potential racial profiling, saying "one thing that officers understand [is] that it's wrong to profile." He said the measure is needed to deter illegal migration – and some residents along the U.S.-Mexican border agree. "There's nothing disincentivizing this mass illegal immigration, [yet] there's hundreds of things incentivizing it," said Selene Rodriguez, a native from Del Rio, another border community about 55 miles from Eagle Pass. Rodriguez works for the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation, and says her family and friends at Del Rio and Eagle Pass feel unsafe because of the number of migrants crossing. "So, when you have a bill like SB4 or other type of legislation that is meant to disincentivize that, that's exactly what we want," she says. Once used by federal officials to process migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally, Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas was blocked by the state as part of its fight with the Biden administration over immigration. Sergio Martínez-Beltrán/NPR She's not alone in supporting Abbott's policies. Immigration policy extends beyond the border About 62% of state voters support making it a state crime for an undocumented immigrant to be in Texas in most instances, according to a recent survey by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. "There is bipartisan support for the provisions of SB4," said Joshua Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project. "That [support is] made up overwhelmingly by Republicans — 87% who support it, but also 55% of independents and 39% of Democrats." Sponsor Message Although much of the focus of immigration enforcement has been in border communities, laws like SB4 will have a much wider reach across the large and diverse state of Texas. Nabila Mansoor, executive director of Rise AAPI, a Texas- based organization that advocates for Asian American communities, says many in the state are nervous about potentially being racially profiled by law enforcement. "There is just right now this initial kind of bewilderment that such a law could even exist," says Mansoor. "[It]just viscerally goes against so much of what we've been taught about being a free American citizen, here in this country." For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/

Senate Democrats set to lose support from their own side on second border vote

Senior Senate Democrats are bracing for new defections from their side of the aisle in their latest push for another vote on February’s bipartisan border deal. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is planning a Thursday vote on a standalone version of the immigration proposal that Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) negotiated earlier this year. A previous version of the deal that was tied to aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan failed to advance by a 49-50 vote. Five Senate Democrats voted against the bill back then. But now that foreign aid is no longer attached to it, Democrats expect their support could dwindle even further — even as they remain confident that the doomed-to-fail vote would help shore up their vulnerable incumbents' standing ahead of the election and portray Republicans as obstructionist. "I suspect there are a couple Democrats who voted yes on that bill because of the Ukraine money,” Murphy said. “My guess is there will be more Democrats voting against it.” The existence of Democratic opposition, he argued, is “proof that it's a bipartisan bill. If we had 51 votes for it, that would not suggest it's a bipartisan compromise.” And on the Republican side, Lankford himself has already said he will vote against the agreement he helped shape. Only four Republicans voted for the package last time — and the number could easily shrink to zero this time around. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said he is undecided but called the vote “an entirely political ploy.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said "it's hard to determine whether this is a genuine attempt to deal with border security.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said plainly: “I think the whole thing is dumb.” All three previously supported the legislation. “The other side is now going to use it in a way to perhaps make some of their troubled incumbents in a better place,” Murkowski said. “But they don’t really think that they can pass it. So it’s just messaging on their side.” Still, she suggested that her support for the bill hasn't wavered: “I thought it was good enough to vote for before. The policy hasn’t changed.” The bill would impose an automatic shutdown of the border if crossings surpass certain thresholds and strengthen asylum standards. No one expects it to get 60 votes to open debate, and few are predicting it can get a majority. Republicans said they’ve given little consideration to advancing the bill and offering potential amendments. Which leaves campaign-trail politics as the leading factor in the maneuver. Both parties are looking to weaponize border issues in Senate races in Montana, Ohio and elsewhere, and the Democratic and GOP campaign arms have already begun messaging on the upcoming vote. Even if it somehow miraculously passed, the legislation has no chance at floor time in the Republican-controlled House. Still, Senate leaders both made their case on the renewed border vote on Tuesday. “Democrats are doing this because we believe in fixing the border,” Schumer said, adding that the border bill is the “only real bipartisan bill negotiated by both sides with a real chance of passing and being put on the president's desk.” Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has lamented the way the bill fell apart over the winter. But on Tuesday he countered that Senate Democrats’ border effort is an “attempt to try and convince the American people that they’re concerned about this when they caused it.” Lead Art: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is planning a Thursday vote on a standalone version of the immigration proposal that Sens. Chris Murphy, Kyrsten Sinema and James Lankford negotiated earlier this year. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Continue on to view the day's latest updates 1 DAY AGO In a unique modern congressional occurrence, a discharge petition, led by Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), that would provide tax relief for victims of hurricanes, wildfires and the East Palestine train derailment passed on the House floor. The vote was 382-7 after Steube notched the rare feat last week of forcing a vote on the legislation, thanks to heavy Democratic support. Whether the Democratic-led Senate takes up the legislation remains unclear. 1 DAY AGO Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) are introducing legislation Tuesday to block presidents, vice presidents and other senior federal officials from accepting payments from a foreign government while in office and for two years after leaving office without congressional consent. The bill would also, among other provisions, create civil and criminal penalties for unauthorized payments. The legislation likely faces an uphill climb in the GOP-controlled House but is the latest indication that Democrats are likely to pursue emoluments reforms and investigations if they win back the House in the November election after doing a deep dive into payments received by former President Donald Trump's businesses while he was in office. “Congress must now enact a law to prevent presidents from ever again exploiting the presidency for self-enrichment by selling out our government to foreign states,” Raskin said in a statement. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.