Democrats push back against GOP-led efforts to tie asylum changes to Ukraine aid
McALLEN, Texas ( Border Report ) — Pushback by Democrats was growing on Wednesday against Republican proposals for major asylum reforms to be tied to a funding package that includes aid for Ukraine.
A group of 11 Democratic senators on Wednesday signed a joint statement issuing their concerns about GOP-led efforts to change asylum laws in order to pass President Joe Biden’s request for $106 billion in supplemental funding.
The funding package includes billions of dollars for aid to Ukraine, Israel and for Southwest border communities affected by an increasing number of migrants crossing illegally from Mexico into the United States.
But a group of Republicans are pushing for major changes to asylum laws — including raising the burden of proof that migrants must show during credible fear interviews and requiring asylum-seekers fly directly to the United States, which advocates say would exclude low-income migrants.
Those in favor of reforms also want to reduce parole for certain populations, like pregnant women and young families, which could result in migrants being held in U.S. detention facilities or sent back to Mexico, something that often occurred during the Trump administration.
“As negotiations surrounding the supplemental aid package progress, we are concerned about reports of harmful changes to our asylum system that will potentially deny lifesaving humanitarian protection for vulnerable people, including children, and fail to deliver any meaningful improvement to the situation at the border. Using a one-time spending package to enact these unrelated permanent policy changes sets a dangerous precedent and risks assistance to our international partners. Any proposal considering permanent changes to our asylum and immigration system needs to include a clear path to legalization for long-standing undocumented immigrants,” said the statement signed by the 11 Democrats led by California Sen. Alex Padilla, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety.
The other Democrats who signed on to the statement included Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, of Illinois; Sens. Cory Booker, of New Jersey; Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii; Ben Ray Luján, of New Mexico; Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts; Bob Menendez, of New Jersey; Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, of Oregon; and Sheldon Whitehouse, of Rhode Island.
Ongoing bipartisan talks regarding the supplemental funding are taking place between Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet, of Colorado, and Chris Murphy, of Connecticut and Republican Sens. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas; James Lankford, of Oklahoma; Thom Tillis, of North Carolina; and Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, of Arizona.
Lankford on Tuesday told CBS News policy changes are what’s needed to stop migrants from crossing illegally from Mexico into the United States.
“More money is not going to solve our southern border, in fact the administration has said that as well, saying more money is not going to solve that. It’s got to be policy. So we’re trying to bring some policies on this to resolve some issues at our southern border, which most certainly are out of control,” Lankford told CBS, which posted the interview on X , the platform previously known as Twitter.
Padilla tweeted the changes would hurt America’s immigration system.
“Congress must urgently work to pass much needed assistance for our allies abroad. We cannot, however, do so at the expense of our values,” Padilla tweeted Wednesday.
The Democratic senators, in their statement, acknowledged immigration and asylum reform is needed, but said it should not be tied to this massive spending bill.
“We remain committed to working in good faith to modernize our outdated immigration system on a bipartisan basis and through a deliberative process. We cannot truly secure our border and help American communities without increasing lawful pathways for migration and legalizing long-time undocumented immigrants who put food on our tables, care for our elderly, and form the fabric of our communities,” they said.
Migrant advocate groups on Tuesday began loudly speaking out against GOP-proposed asylum reforms . On Wednesday, the list of opponents was growing to include the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA,) which called on Congress to open hearings for input from experts and representatives of immigrant communities.
“Congress should reject proposals that close off the nation to people in urgent need of humanitarian protection. The reported provisions being negotiated would not only weaken the U.S. asylum system but also create chaos at the border by taking away the long-standing Congressionally created ‘parole’ authority. That critical tool, used for decades by presidents of both political parties, brings order and predictability to migration flows. Parole is exactly what Congress should be shoring up, not blowing up,” AILA President Farshad Owji said.
“We urge the U.S. Senate and the White House to reject any proposal that aims to dismantle the country’s current asylum system or expand our cruel enforcement infrastructure. The policy changes sought by Republican lawmakers will endanger the lives and security of immigrants both within and beyond our borders,” the Defund Hate campaign, which is a coalition of groups involved in migrant affairs, said in a statement on Wednesday.
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