Republicans and Democrats engage in bipartisan efforts to address the
border crisis.
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**B Stands for Bargaining for
the Border**
Happy New Year,

The Senate rang in 2024 by continuing border negotiations

after taking a break for the holidays. The Biden Administration and
Senate Republican and Democratic leaders are making a bipartisan effort
to reach an agreement on U.S. border policy that would address the
crisis at the southern border (which is accentuated by a record number
of over 300,000

encounters at the border in December).

These negotiations, which are part of a supplemental package that
includes increased military aid to Ukraine, have focused largely on
asylum and deportation provisions, and parole authority.

Just this week, additional immigration items have been raised
,
including the Afghan Adjustment Act, which could provide a pathway to
permanent legal status for Afghans resettled in the U.S. as a result of
the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, protections for children of
immigrants working in the U.S., also known as Documented Dreamers, and
work permits for eligible migrants who pass preliminary asylum
interviews.

The discussions are further complicated by movement in the House towards
impeaching Secretary Mayorkas
,
with some Republicans attributing the crisis solely to the DHS
Secretary, which not only misdirects from addressing the underlying
issues, but has serious implications for national security. In a recent
statement
,
leaders from the Council on National Security and Immigration (CNSI)
spoke up about this issue and urged "Congress to exert their energy on
solutions that will secure our border, treat migrants with dignity, and
alleviate the existing processing backlogs."   

CNSI leaders spoke further on reaching border solutions in a statement

identifying policy recommendations for the border negotiations
including:

* Raising the initial screening standards and assisting orderly and
controlled

**asylum** screening so decisions can be made in months, not years.

* Legislation that allows the executive branch to make national security
designations to initiate large-scale

**parole** programs and gives Congress the new right of disapproval.

* Define legalization terms and provide legal certainty for

**DACA recipients.**

* Provide permanent status through the

**Afghan Adjustment Act** to the 100,000 Afghans resettled in the U.S.

National Security experts are not the only leaders in the country
speaking up in the midst of these negotiations. Evangelical leaders sent
a letter

to Congress in December, continuing to encourage bipartisan
negotiations, while reminding Congressional leaders that ensuring
orderly borders and respecting human dignity, by prioritizing due
process and legal protections, are not mutually exclusive. Additionally,
fifteen organizations representing other national security, faith,
business and advocacy organizations that are part of the Alliance for a
New Immigration Consensus (ANIC) have urged senators

to continue to seek solutions together to fix the situation at the
border.

While these decisions are being made in Congress, we still have the
ability to speak up and advocate for bipartisan solutions
that center human dignity

**and** make the border more orderly. In 2024, the National Immigration
Forum will continue to mobilize and advocate for such solutions, in
addition to other urgent immigration priorities, such as legal pathways
for migrants at the border and others residing in the U.S., such as
resettled Afghans and Dreamers. I hope you'll continue to join our
advocacy efforts.

Stay hopeful and committed,

Allison

**Allison Bassett**
Field and Constituencies Manager
National Immigration Forum 

**NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:**

****

**WASHINGTON POST:**Trump rhetoric, Republican candidates' ads
frighten immigrants in Iowa

**NPR:**U.S. citizens have been accidentally caught up in the Texas
crackdown on migrants

**ASSOCIATED PRESS:**Justice Department sues Texas over immigration law

**NEW YORK TIMES:**Johnson Visits Border, Turning Up Heat on Biden for
an Immigration Deal

**CBS NEWS:**U.S. border officials on track to process over 300,000
migrants in December, the highest monthly tally on record

 

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