OVERVIEW FROM THE CEO (JAMES MASSA)
WELCOME TO THE "INSIDE IMMIGRATION" NEWSLETTER OF NUMBERSUSA
APPROPRIATIONS VS. BORDER BATTLE COMES IN LIKE A LION…..AND GOES OUT LIKE A LAMB

Lion at the front of the House becomes a lamb

For all the build up with continuing resolutions, ladders, minibuses and strong words, the House of Representatives quietly passed the remaining appropriations bills with NO POLICY CHANGES, NO BORDER CONTROLS, and WITH AN INCREASE in legal immigration.

Poll after poll of the American voters show over and over that immigration and the border crisis is their number one issue of concern. See Gallup Poll as example, How can this be that the most notable aspect of the DHS appropriations bill is to increase the number of visas for Afghans by 12,000 (effectively increasing legal immigration by 54,000 when counting their spouses and children), not to mention the long-term effects of chain migration?

The simple answer is that those elected to Congress believe that shutting down the government will cost them in the ballot box even when the issue of a border crisis has caused immigration to be the number one concern of American voters. Do they have good reason to think this? Some argue that is a false perception not a current reality. See Ballot Box Penalty for Shutting Down Govt.

Still, Speaker Johnson has indicated openly he will not shut down the government. He has also indicated that the American people are best served by moving the border battle from the appropriations process to supplemental funding for Ukraine. At NumbersUSA, we will continue to score votes by Congress as they are, either adding to or detracting from the total number of immigrants, legal or illegal, they allow into the country. We will also continue to give you, our members, the tools to make your voice heard.

Have you downloaded the Action App for your phone?

Download on the Apple Store Get It On Google Play


FEDERAL (GRANT NEWMAN)
CONGRESS MOVES TO FUND THE BORDER CRISIS

H Res 1102 vote
Today, the House voted in favor of a minibus that contains the remaining 6 appropriations bills for the remainder of the fiscal year. In the early hours of Thursday morning, the more than 1,000 page bill dropped, giving the House of Representatives a single day to read all of it, despite a House rule requiring 72 hours.

That bill funds the Department of Homeland Security, but makes no policy changes that would help to end the border crisis. In addition, it adds 12,000 Afghans to the existing Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) category. This doesn't just fail to stop the border crisis- it fully funds it.

The Republicans were split nearly down the middle, and 22 Democrats joined to vote no, but more than ⅔ of the House voted to suspend the rules and pass the bill.

While this represents a near total abdication of Congress's responsibility to stop the border crisis, many brave Members of Congress opposed it because of its lack of helpful border security provisions. We'll have actions up as soon as the vote tally is made public so you can thank those that voted against it, and express disappointment to those that handed Secretary Mayorkas a blank check.

The Senate will take the bill up over the weekend.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR CONGRESS?

Assuming the government is fully funded this weekend, Congress will be leaving town for two weeks of recess. We don't anticipate any floor action, but be on the lookout for opportunities to message your Members of Congress to cosponsor our Great Solutions when they return.

There's still one more chance for Congress to address the border crisis. Many in Congress are pushing for a supplemental funding package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, and many Congressmen and Senators have vowed that they won't vote for that package without substantive change on the border. If you haven't already, check your Action Board and insist that Congress use this opportunity to pass H.R. 2 and stop the border crisis.

SUSTAINABILITY (JEREMY BECK)
Any discusson of sustainability in the U.S. must address the need to reduce or eliminate immigration, both legal and illegal, in the U.S.The late, great physicist and professor Al Bartlett would have turned 101 this week. Bartlett was famous for his lecture, "Arithmetic, Population, and Energy." His work on immigration is less well-known but important. Read Henry's article for more.

HIRING LINE (ANDRE BARNES)
CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1924 IMMIGRATION ACT The 1924 Immigration Act great reduced employers' access to foreign labor. Decades of economic progress followed, especially for descendants of slaves

It is time to take the best of both bills to craft a bill that will help Americans now.

Black Americans have had better immigration policy before through the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924, which helped:

Initiate the Great Migration
Increase pay for Black Americans
Increased enrollment in HBCUs
Developed leaders who influenced the Civil Rights Movement
We will continue to discuss the following:

Is President Calvin Coolidge the 2nd Great Emancipator?

Would HBCUs and the Civil Rights movement have had as much success without the passing of the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act?


NUMBERSUSA IN THE NEWS
The Blaze - Candace Hathaway - March 13th - House GOP aims to deport, permanently ban illegal immigrants convicted of sexual assault
Fox News - Thomas Catenacci - March 15th - Biden admin funnels $1 billion for climate programs at borders amid ongoing migrant crisis
KFDA NewsChannel 10 - David Lovejoy, Rhonda Lahnert, Chuck Williams - March 17th - THE CHAT: Andre Barnes on immigration policy ahead of his Texas trip
The Voice of Reason with Andy Hooser - Andy Hooser - March 18th - Eric Ruark: Is the Biden admin platform on Immigration stronger than Trump?
Florida Daily - Ed Dean - March 19th - Immigration Enforcement Group Tells GOP Not To Fund Biden's Border Plan
NUMBERS THAT MATTER
14 AND 37: SMALL BUT IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Not big numbers, but a big deal. In the past month, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed two pieces of legislation aimed at getting control over the border with bi-partisan support. One with the support of 14 Democrats and the other with the support of 37 Democrats.

While these are not overwhelming signs of support from Democrats, together, the votes represent an important segment of House Democrats willing to take a stand against the Biden Administration's open-border policies. It's too soon to tell if these initial cracks in the Democrats' solid support for the Biden Administration's immigration policies will lead to a significant fissure, but it is surely a sign that 14-37 Democrats are starting to hear from enough of their constituents on this issue that they feel pressure to act. Keep contacting your Members of Congress – it makes a difference!!

Fourteen Democrats supported H.Res. 1065 last week. While this is a nonbinding resolution, it sends a message that the House condemns the Biden Administration's actions at the border, and urges the President to use the powers Congress has already granted him to end the crisis. The resolution advocates for-

Ending catch-and-release;
Reinstating the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP or "Remain in Mexico");
Entering asylum cooperative agreements with foreign countries;
Ending parole abuse;
Detaining illegal aliens;
Utilizing expedited removal.
This comes on the heels of the House, in a strong bipartisan showing, voting in favor of the Laken Riley Act. The final vote was 251-170, with all Republicans voting in favor along with 37 Democrats. While not a substitute for H.R. 2, the legislation empowers state governments to challenge illegal actions by the executive branch in federal court. Specifically, it provides standing to states to sue the Executive Branch in a wide variety of cases where discretion has led to dangerous open border policies. You can read more about the bill in Jared Culver's article on our site.

H Res 1065 passes 226-193 with 15 Democrats joining Republicans in denouncing current border policies
Donate
facebook
YouTube
facebook
need help?
SPREAD THE MESSAGE!
PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, AND FAMILY