Good afternoon,

It’s been a whirlwind week in immigration. On Sunday night, the Senate unveiled the text of the Emergency National Security Supplemental, which includes provisions related to both national security and immigration. The bill is far from perfect, but it is a compromise that displays the work of good faith negotiating by Republicans and Democrats.

While the bill failed to advance in the Senate on Wednesday, it created a solid foundation for Congress to continue working together. Put best by President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, Jennie Murray, "The road may yet be long, but this bill must be a beginning, not an end" in a statement released by the Forum.

The text of this bill exhibits a serious attempt to address the border and other important immigration priorities. Key provisions would make changes to asylum processing, parole, and adjust the status of Afghan nationals. For more details on these changes and others, please check out the Forum’s bill explainer.

The lead negotiators, Senator Lankford (R-OK), Senator Sinema (I-AZ), and Senator Murphy (D-CT) demonstrated that when Republicans and Democrats work together in a bipartisan manner, we can begin laying the foundation for change. A recent poll reveals that most Americans strongly support bipartisan solutions for immigration, so let’s keep the momentum going.

In other news, this week the House focused on a Republican-led effort to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which failed on Tuesday. A press release from the Council on National Security and Immigration (CNSI) reiterated that impeachment "would divert attention and resources away from actual progress" and "set a harmful precedent." Unfortunately, this effort is far from over as many Republicans have vowed to try again.

As immigration is on the mind and consciousness of many this week, we cannot let the momentum stop. To create a more orderly and humane immigration system, the kind of bipartisanship we’ve seen throughout Senate negotiations needs to continue. Together, we can push Congress to prioritize meaningful, bipartisan immigration reforms that center human dignity and compassion.

Stay hopeful and committed,

Andrea

Andrea Corro
Field and Constituencies Coordinator
National Immigration Forum 

NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:

REUTERS: US Senate defeats border deal, but Ukraine, Israel aid may survive

USA TODAY: The border crisis has a new group of sympathizers: evangelical women

NBC NEWS: The Biden administration is considering executive action to deter illegal migration at the southern border

THE HILL: In stunner, House GOP bid to impeach Mayorkas fails

THE WALL STEET JOURNAL: The immigrants we shouldn’t forget

AP: GOP governors back at Texas border to keep pressure on Biden over migrant crossings