Far from Sensible Border Solutions
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Institute new restrictions and make it more difficult for individuals to seek protection in the United States even if they qualify for asylum under current U.S. law.
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Include most of the provisions in Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-TX) bill, the Border Safety and Security Act (H.R. 29). The provisions would provide the DHS Secretary with the authority to suspend and, in some cases, require the secretary to suspend the entry of migrants coming to the United States without authorization.
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Require DHS to hold parents and their children in family immigration detention without the time limits established in the Flores Settlement Agreement that sets standards around child detention.
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Remove longstanding protections for unaccompanied children, making it harder for them to receive asylum and other humanitarian protections and stay in the U.S.
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Make parole available only on an individual case-by-case basis and not to an entire class of potential parole recipients.
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Require employers to verify immigration status: Employers, under penalty of perjury, must attest that they have verified that a potential employee is not an undocumented immigrant.
This bill contains potential border solutions that are far from sensible. Instead of creating a more orderly process for those who arrive at the U.S. border, the bill would create more problems in our already convoluted immigration system.
Jennie Murray, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, states:
"Enforcement alone will not make our border more secure or orderly. Congress must provide alternative pathways for people seeking to come to the U.S. legally and maintain America’s longstanding commitment to humanitarian protections."
Likewise, the Evangelical Immigration Table sent a letter to Congress urging members to "pursue policies that improve border security but do not erode or eliminate existing legal protections for asylum seekers or unaccompanied children." Matthew Soerens, National Coordinator of the Evangelical Immigration Table added:
"It’s possible to both be for secure borders and for due process for asylum seekers, protecting unaccompanied kids from violence and trafficking and treating all people humanely. Congress needs to work together on a bipartisan basis to find legislative solutions that do both."
We must continue to push Congress to enact meaningful, bipartisan immigration reform that includes a safe, efficient and humane approach to managing our border.
Stay hopeful and committed,
Nora
Nora Coyne
Field and Constituencies Manager
National Immigration Forum
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