Congress is considering major changes to the immigration system in exchange for funding for Ukraine

[ad_1]

WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress is discussing changes in the transportation system in exchange for giving money to Ukraine in its fight against Russia and Israel for war with Hamas.

President Joe Biden said he is willing to do it “war on the border” to meet the Republican’s desire to link the aid to the recovery of American policies.

Republicans say the record numbers of immigrants cross the southern border security threats because authorities are unable to adequately screen all immigrants and those entering the United States are straining the nation’s resources. GOP lawmakers also say they cannot justify those who send billions of dollars to other countries, even in times of war, but cannot welcome the border at home.

But many immigration advocates, including some Democrats, say some of the proposed changes will protect the lives of people in dire need of help and will not ease the tension at the border. .

Most of the negotiations are being held in secret, but some of the issues being discussed are known: the status of asylum, humanitarian parole and early deportation management, among others.

Here’s a look at who they are and what might happen if there are changes:

SPIRITUAL SHADOW

By using parole assistance, the US government can allow people into the country by using the normal immigration system. This power must be used on a case-by-case basis for “urgent humanitarian reasons” or “important public benefits.” Immigrants are usually admitted for a predetermined period of time and there is no path to U.S. citizenship.

Over the years, administrations, Democratic and Republican, have used assisted parole to allow people into the US and help groups of people from around the world. It has been used to admit people from Hungary in the 1950s, from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the latter half of the 1970s, and Iraqi Kurds who worked with the US in the mid-1990s, according to the story. research by the Cato Institute.

FILE – Immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico are scheduled for processing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Saturday, September 23, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. Congress is discussing changes to the immigration system in exchange for giving money to Ukraine in its war against Russia and Israel for the war with Hamas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Under Biden, the US has relied heavily on aid packages. The US moved nearly 80,000 Afghans from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and brought them to the US after the Taliban took over. The US has accepted tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled after the Russian invasion.

In January, the Democratic administration announced a plan to accept 30,000 people a month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela through parole, if those immigrants have financial support and fly into the US instead of going to the US-Mexico border to enter.

The latest US government data shows that nearly 270,000 people were brought into the country through October under the program. In addition, 324,000 people have received appointments through a mobile phone called CBP One which is used to issue parole to people at the border crossing with Mexico.

The Republicans have described the program as a decision to go around Congress by allowing the majority of people who have no way to accept it. Texas sued the administration to stop the program aimed at Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans.

WHAT CAN BE CHANGED IN ASYLUM?

Asylum is a form of protection that allows an immigrant to stay in the U..S. and find a path to American citizenship. To qualify for asylum, one must demonstrate fear of violence back home because of a specific set of criteria: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular group or political opinion. Asylum seekers must be on US soil when they apply for this protection.

They often do a preliminary investigation called a credible fear interview. If they are determined to have a chance to receive asylum, they are allowed to stay in the United States to continue their case in immigration court. That process can take years. Now, asylum seekers can start working, get married, have children and create a life.

Critics say the problem is that many people don’t end up getting asylum when their cases go to immigration court. But they say immigrants know that if they claim asylum, they will be allowed to stay in America for years.

“It’s not a day to ask people to apply for asylum in order to get asylum,” said Andrew Arthur, a former immigration court judge and fellow of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for less immigration to the US.

Some of the things that the lawmakers are discussing will raise the level that immigrants need during the first dangerous interview. Those who fail will be sent home.

But Paul Schmidt, a retired immigration court judge who is on the web about immigration issues, said that the credible discussion of fear is not expected to be very difficult. Immigrants are being interviewed as soon as they arrive at the border from a difficult and stressful journey, he said. Schmidt said the interview is more of a “preliminary investigation” to weed out those with felony convictions.

Schmidt also questioned the argument that many immigrants fail their final exams. He said that some immigration judges use limited criteria and the system that is presented makes it difficult to know exactly what the most recent and reliable data is.

WHAT IS THE BASIS?

Expedited removal, enacted in 1996 by Congress, allows low-level immigration officials, as opposed to immigration judges, to be fired quickly. of some foreigners. It wasn’t widely used until 2004 and is usually used to deport people caught within 100 miles of the Mexican or Canadian border and within two weeks of their arrival.

According to the opposition, it eases the burden of delayed immigration courts. According to the lawyer of the Immigration Office, its use is easy for mistakes and the protection of immigrants is not enough, such as having a lawyer to help them argue their case. As president, the Republican Donald Trump pushed for the expansion of this early dismissal policy throughout the country and for longer periods of time. The opponents sued and that extension never happened.

WHAT CAN THESE CHANGES BE MADE ABOUT?

Much of the controversy over these proposed changes comes down to whether people think it’s worth stopping.

Arthur, a former immigration judge, thinks so. He said the changes to the refugee crisis and the restrictions on the use of the aid will be a “game changer.” He said it was a “costly effort” because the government would have to detain and deport more immigrants today. But, he argued, the number of arrivals will eventually drop.

But others, like Schmidt, a retired immigration judge, say immigrants are so confused, they will come and take dangerous journeys to avoid the Border Patrol.

“Disruptive people do disruptive things,” he said.

Leave a Comment