Did you know that Democrats on Capitol Hill are working around the clock to pass the largest amnesty in American history with no enforcement tradeoffs?
Even worse, they are doing so in a manner that is just as bad, if not worse, than the actual policy proposal.
Amnesty is a top priority for the $3.5 trillion package dubbed “Build Back Better”, which will originate in the House and then advance through the Senate using budget reconciliation. This arcane legislative process allows the party in power to pass legislation related to the budget with only a simple majority in the upper chamber, thus bypassing the traditional 60-vote threshold.
Fortunately, the budget reconciliation process has complex requirements, and it is not certain that the inclusion of amnesty would pass muster with the Senate parliamentarian. Democrats here in Washington do not care, however. They are moving forward with haste as the parliamentarian mulls it over.
Shortly after Democrats made their case to the Senate parliamentarian, the House Judiciary Committee finally released text of their amnesty proposal last Friday. Then, in the middle of the night this week, the committee voted 25-19 – along party lines – to advance the amnesty proposal. The markup lasted about 14 hours, with one break. Democrats rejected every single FAIR-supported Republican amendment, including those that would have excluded gang members and sex offenders.
Here is what the committee advanced: A broad amnesty for 8 million or so illegal aliens, which would be the largest in American history. Those eligible include an even larger “Dreamer” population, as well as every illegal alien “essential worker,” defined in a way that includes nearly every line of work.
Even worse, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be required to give illegal aliens a “reasonable opportunity” to apply before deporting them, so long as they are prima facie eligible. That is essentially a shield to stop all deportations right after the bill passes.
Lastly, it would greatly expand legal immigration by recapturing visas and quickly adjusting the status of those in the backlog. All in exchange for absolutely nothing. It does not contain a single provision to address the border crisis or enforce existing immigration law.
While there are so many additional factors in play that could affect whether or not amnesty can be included or if the package can even advance, this remains a dire situation and the American people must make their voices heard in the coming weeks.
Tell your representative that critical policy issues, such as immigration, deserve a full debate on the floor of both chambers. Add that this attempt to blow up long-standing Senate rules in order to grant amnesty to 8 million illegal aliens would not only exacerbate an already raging crisis, but also deeply harm our nation for decades.