The White House is delaying the signing of a series of immigration-related executive orders that would rescind a number of Trump-era policies, Fox News has learned – just when a potential bipartisan immigration bill is starting to take shape on Hill.
President Biden is expected to sign a series of immigration-related orders on Friday, including one that would establish a task force to bring together separate families on the border and another to increase refugee admissions. Biden said earlier that he wants to increase the annual inflow of refugees from 15,000 to 125,000.
CBP FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BORDER WALL AFTER THE BIDEN EXECUTIVE ORDER
But while the schedule has never been confirmed by the White House, Fox News has learned that some or all of these requests may be postponed until next week. White House officials did not explain what caused the change in deadlines.
The orders will follow a series of immigration-related orders signed by Biden since entering the White House last week. It reversed Trump-era travel bans and strengthened the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provided protection against deportation for illegal immigrants brought into the country as children.
He also signed an order to pause the construction of the wall on the southern border, something that came into effect on Wednesday. Separately, its Department of Homeland Security issued an order suspending deportations for 100 days – but that is being challenged by a lawsuit in Texas.
RUBIO REQUIRES CLARITY IN THE PAUSE OF DEPORTATION OF 100 DAYS OF BIDEN, AMONG VIOLENT CRIMINALS WILL REMAIN IN US
Biden also proposed a comprehensive immigration bill that includes an eight-year path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, as well as a number of other measures, including immediate green cards for rural workers and DACA beneficiaries.
But with such a bill facing significant Republican opposition, its future is unclear, with Senator Bob Menendez, DN.J., admitting that passing it in the Senate is a “Herculean” task.
Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Is working with Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., on a more limited bipartisan immigration bill – potentially addressing DACA and Temporary Protection Status (TPS) recipients.
The basis of the bill will follow the model of the last immigration proposal of 2013 – Durbin and Graham were part of the “Gang of Eight” that created the bill. This effort was approved in the Senate, but stalled in the then Republican-controlled House.
Durbin confirmed on Thursday afternoon that he was working with Graham on a bill.
“I think it will look like similar efforts in the past,” he said.
The final version may include some items included in Biden’s immigration package, revealed on his first day in office, but negotiations are still early. The White House still wants a comprehensive deal, but it knows that immigration cannot be an all-or-nothing affair.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
On Thursday, Graham said that a more comprehensive bill like the one proposed by Biden would be a “difficult sale” in a 50-50 Senate, and indicated that he believed a more focused bill would have a better chance of success.
“I just think that comprehensive immigration will be a difficult sale, given this environment, but I think that doing DACA is possible,” he said.