77 Democrats ship a letter to Biden criticizing his border and immigration insurance policies

A gaggle of 77 Democratic lawmakers despatched a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday criticizing his administration’s insurance policies limiting asylum entry for migrants crossing the southern border.

The letter, signed by New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and 74 others, mentioned the brand new insurance policies introduced Jan. 5 to open extra authorized choices for migrants from Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba whereas additionally eliminating pathways for these nationalities to assert asylum on the border are “disappointing.” 

Whereas 30,000 migrants from these 4 nations will likely be eligible to use for humanitarian parole protections from their dwelling nations, Mexico has additionally agreed to take again 30,000 migrants per thirty days from those self same nations because the Biden administration expands the Trump-era Covid protections often known as Title 42.

At a press convention Thursday, Menendez mentioned, “We acknowledge that america is experiencing a tough migration problem on the southern border. However as elected officers, we’re duty-bound to suggest authorized options, one which protects asylum-seekers whereas additionally securing the protected elimination of migrants who haven’t any authorized declare to remain in america.”

Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has additionally mentioned the administration is making ready to suggest a brand new federal rulemaking that will enable his division to disclaim the best to assert asylum on the southern border for migrants who don’t first search asylum in a rustic they move by way of. 

Stephen Miller, the senior adviser behind then-President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration insurance policies, launched the same proposal, generally often known as a “transit ban,” that was blocked by courts in 2020.

“As a substitute of issuing a brand new asylum transit ban and increasing Title 42,” the Democratic lawmakers mentioned within the letter to Biden, “we encourage your administration to face by your dedication to revive and shield the rights of asylum seekers and refugees.” The letter famous that asylum is a world proper that shouldn’t be restricted.

The Biden administration has mentioned that its proposal is totally different as a result of Miller didn’t enable for migrants to use from their dwelling nations to return to the U.S. legally.

As many as 20 Republican-governed states, with the assistance of a gaggle led by Miller, are actually making an attempt to dam the administration from opening these authorized pathways in a brand new lawsuit lately filed in federal courtroom in Texas.

Biden has confronted intense criticism over his border insurance policies from each events, with Republicans saying they’re unwilling to barter on immigration laws or extra funding for border initiatives till the administration does extra to safe the border. He additionally faces lawsuits from immigration advocates for reducing off pathways for asylum-seekers. 

Customs and Border Safety encountered undocumented migrants greater than 250,000 occasions in December, a file month-to-month excessive to finish a file excessive 12 months of border encounters. 

Senior Homeland Safety officers advised reporters on a name Wednesday that for the reason that new insurance policies for Haitians, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Cubans went into impact early this month, the variety of individuals from these nations crossing the border had been drastically lower. 

On Jan. 24, the officers mentioned, Customs and Border Safety was encountering 115 migrants from these nations per day as a seven-day common, in comparison with the common of three,367 per day Dec. 11, earlier than the coverage went into impact.

However the officers wouldn’t say what number of migrants from these nations had utilized or been authorized to return to the U.S. legally underneath the newly established packages.