Hector Sanchez Barba, head of Mi Familia Vota, who has criticized Biden over immigration policy in the past, did not share specific details discussed at the private meeting. Still, he said, Biden’s plan “is the most aggressive agenda I’ve seen on immigration reform since day one – not just the legislative package, but also executive decrees.”
At the meeting, Susan Rice, who will lead the Biden Domestic Policy Council, was adamant that the new government was not about to introduce comprehensive immigration reform to simply put it at rest, said Jess Morales Rocketto, executive director of Care in Action.
“We were totally shocked by the immigration plan and the level of clarity,” she said.
Domingo Garcia, president of the League of Citizens of Latin America United, said the Biden team told meeting participants that the project would give 11 million undocumented migrants a path to citizenship, with an eight-year wait as a permanent resident. . Biden also plans an executive order instituting a “four-year extension” of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The eight-year term, outlined by Harris during an interview with Univision this week, was a disappointment for Garcia, who said he plans to force a five-year wait. During the meeting, Biden also told defenders not to hold him for “100 days” to pass immigration legislation because the Senate impeachment process “could slow things down,” said Garcia.
Some on the call, like Garcia, thought Biden was trying to lower expectations. But others on the call, Morales Rocketto said, I thought Biden was making a good-natured joke about enforcing legislation on a busy schedule during the impeachment process.
And the Democrats, aware of the difficulties, are divided on the best way to proceed. Democratic lawmakers hope that Biden’s proposal will provide a starting point. But big questions remain about what could be included in a coronavirus recovery package instead of an expansive immigration bill. Some lawmakers say they want Biden to get whatever gets passed as quickly as possible, even if it means taking a more fragmented approach. Others argue that a real overhaul of the country’s immigration system can only happen in a big package that forces Congress to face the issue head on.
Meanwhile, Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), supported by more than a dozen immigrant labor and rights groups, said he is planning to introduce legislation that allows undocumented workers to apply for permanent resident status. Under the bill, these workers would be eligible to apply for citizenship in five years. In a press call on Friday, new senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) Said undocumented immigrants on the front lines “deserve not only Covid and labor protections, but the security of a path to citizenship “.
“I hope that Congress and our nation will recognize that these immigrants spoke out when the United States needed it most and put themselves in danger every day, serving as essential workers during this deadly pandemic,” Castro said in an interview.
Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) said that a “fragmented” approach is not an option. “The government has a very limited window of opportunity before members of the House begin to run for re-election,” she said. “Every day that passes is a day when the window closes just an inch more … We have to do this at once.”
Senator Bob Menendez (DN.J.) agreed. Adopting a step-by-step approach, such as attaching legal status for selected groups to mandatory bills, represents a “great risk” that would leave some immigrants undocumented.
Still, the future Senate majority president, Whip Dick Durbin, recognized the dangerous road ahead with a tied Senate and a small majority in the House. “I am realistic. I’ve been in the middle of this battle for two decades, “said Durbin, adding that he has to take Biden’s immigration goals and” translate them into a 50-50 Senate and a 50-50 Senate Judiciary Committee. “
“I’m not ruling out a bigger project, but I want to take it one step at a time,” said Durbin (D-Ill.), Who, along with Menendez, started conversations with his Republican colleagues. “I don’t want to overdo it in my hand. I want to be aware that bipartisan support is essential for victory in the Senate ”.
Leading Democratic lawmakers and Congressional officials have been in “constant communication” with Biden’s transition team and policymakers on the immigration plan, said Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), President of Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “We will have to be flexible in our strategic approach and with the ultimate goal of turning legislation into law.”
Castro’s next bill establishes a broad definition for essential workers that could cover about 5 million undocumented immigrants, including Dreamers and beneficiaries of Temporary Protection Status, according to an outline shared for the first time with POLITICO. And it could be approved as an independent bill, or as part of coronavirus relief or an immigration package, Castro said.
The measure will define essential workers as any worker who “performed any service or work” during the pandemic, including sanitation, health, retail and construction, and any worker deemed essential by state or local entities. It would also provide a path for family members who had to replace any essential worker who died due to Covid-19 and provide a path for relatives to promote family unity.
Biden’s proposal is expected to provide a path for some workers without essential documents, but whether it goes as far as Castro’s proposal is uncertain.
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) said she supports the inclusion of status protections in a coronavirus relief bill for agricultural workers and slaughterhouses that have no documents. Democratic lawmakers and supporters have said based on conversations with Biden’s team – as well as Biden’s comments – that they are confident that Biden will take a different approach to immigration than President Barack Obama. The immigration policy advisers that Biden added to his team of advocacy groups like America’s Voice and The Immigration Hub are a positive sign, they said.
“We are all ready to work and receive our march orders,” said Garcia.