Huddle Recap - Immigration
Every day we hear conflicting stories about immigration and illegal immigrants. On one hand, the current administration tries to convince us that illegal immigrants are dangerous and cost taxpayers huge amounts of money. For example, in September 2019, President Trump stated: “…this is certainly a tremendous national emergency because of human trafficking, drugs, and people coming in illegally. And, in many cases, those people have criminal records. And we don’t want them in our country.”1 On the other hand, a recent Ball State University study concluded that illegal immigrants are a “net benefit” to Indiana. According to Michael Hicks, an author of the study and Professor of Economics at Ball State, illegal immigrants “… tend to work at very high rates…. They tend to pay enormous share of taxes, but don’t use tax benefits at very high rates.” 2 In addition, a recent study by the Cato Institute stated: “Recent peer-reviewed empirical studies on illegal immigrant criminality have found no link between violent crime and the illegal immigration population. They also found a negative relationship between the number of illegal immigrants and most types of nonviolent crime on the local level.”3
It is imperative that we have reliable facts about immigration. We must base our decisions about immigration on facts, not fear.
As part of my journey to represent you, I recently held two “huddles” on immigration to hear your views about the actions you'd like to see Congress take to help solve this serious problem.
We had some very engaged dialogue about these issues. Our discussions touched on:
Family separations,
Deferred Action, Childhood Arrivals (DACA),
Ensuring that existing laws are enforced fairly,
Climate change will lead to more immigration,
Contribution immigrants make to our economy,
Falling US birthrate can be offset by immigrants,
Challenges facing legal immigrants,
Historical perspectives on immigration (we have been here before), and
Our moral obligations as a country.
Immigration has been a challenge for the United States for many years. Nevertheless, some of the recent upheavals are the result of intentional policy choices made by the Trump administration, and could have been avoided had the current administration made different choices. For example, the Trump administration’s 2018 “Zero Tolerance Policy” led to the entirely predictable disgrace of separating young children from their parents, and placing them in substandard, overcrowded facilities. 4Similarly, the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has undoubtedly caused enormous anxiety for the more than 600,000 recipients from around the world. 5 Many of these young people have lived in the United States most of their lives and have never known any other home. The Supreme Court is currently considering the legality of the Trump administration’s actions. 6
Because it can be difficult to keep track of the legislative proposals made in Congress, I have summarized below a few bills intended to help resolve immigration issues in the United States. A quick review of these bills demonstrates that we have not yet begun to develop a long-term solution to our immigration issues.
H.R.1283 - To establish a nonpartisan commission on immigration reform and border security.
This bill establishes the Nonpartisan Commission on Immigration Reform and Border Security. The commission would assess and report to Congress on U.S. border security and the immigration system in general. The bill directs the commission to consider certain topics, including
vulnerabilities in border screening and surveillance;
cross-border criminal activity;
protocols pertaining to migrant families, asylum seekers, and refugees;
the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program; and
naturalization.
This bill was introduced in February 2019, and referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship in March 2019. To date, no further action has been taken.
For further information, click here
H.R.3670 - Short-Term Detention Standards Act
This bill requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to make every effort to ensure that apprehended individuals are given access to appropriate temporary shelter, bathrooms and shower facilities, water, appropriate nutrition, hygiene, personal grooming items, and sanitation needs. Currently, CBP is only required to make every effort to provide food and water.
This bill passed the House in July 2019, and was sent to the Senate where it was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. No further action has been taken to date.
For additional information, click here.
H.R.586 - Fix the Immigration Loopholes Act
This bill would modify immigration law provisions relating to unaccompanied alien minors and to asylum seekers. For unaccompanied, inadmissible alien children, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would repatriate the child. Currently, only inadmissible unaccompanied aliens from neighboring countries are subject to repatriation, and DHS has discretion whether to repatriate. The bill would also clarify certain requirements pertaining to asylum applications.
This bill was introduced in January 2019, and referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship in February 2019. No further action has been taken to date.
For further information, click here.
H.R.1190 - To prohibit an alien who is not in a lawful immigration status in the United States from being eligible for postsecondary education benefits that are not available to all citizens and nationals of the United States.
This bill states that an alien without legal immigration status would not be eligible to receive any postsecondary education benefit unless every U.S. citizen and national is eligible to receive the same benefit. The bill establishes that a U.S. citizen or national may sue to enforce this provision against an educational institution that the citizen or national is enrolled in.
This bill was introduced in February 2019, and referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship in March 2019. No further action has been taken to date.
For further information, click here.
We must develop a humane and sensible approach to immigration, taking into account the needs of American citizens, the needs of our economy, and America’s role in the world, particularly as climate change creates more people needing to leave their homes. Many laws have been proposed, but no action has been taken.
We need leadership on this issue. We need everyone, government, business, and individuals, to work together to resolve this crisis.
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1. See Remarks by President Trump During Visit to the Border Wall | San Diego, CA, September 19, 2019,https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-visit-border-wall-san-diego-ca/2. “Immigration is a 'net benefit' to Indiana, a new study found;” May 13, 2019, https://www.theindychannel.com/news/politics/immigration-is-a-net-benefit-to-indiana-a-new-study-found3. Criminal Immigrants in Texas in 2017: Illegal Immigrant Conviction Rates and Arrest Rates for Homicide, Sex Crimes, Larceny, and Other Crimes, CATO Institute, August 27, 2019, https://www.cato.org/publications/immigration-research-policy-brief/criminal-immigrants-texas-2017-illegal-immigrant4. See Concerns About ICE Detainee Treatment and Care at Four Detention Facilities, Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, June 3, 2019, OIG-19-47, https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2019-06/OIG-19-47-Jun19.pdf. 5. Approximate Active DACA Recipients as of Jun3 30, 2019, https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Static_files/DACA_Population_Receipts_since_Injunction_Jun_30_2019.pdf6. 18-587 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY V. REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, https://www.supremecourt.gov/qp/18-00587qp.pdf