**B Stands for Bipartisan Bill**

Good afternoon,

In an effort to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the U.S.
Mexico border, Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)
introduced the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act

(BBSA) last week. A companion bill was introduced in the House of
Representatives by Texas Congressmen Tony Gonzales (R) and Henry Cuellar
(D). This legislation would institute several important changes in how
the government responds to arriving migrants.

To start, the bill would create four regional processing centers in
high-traffic areas to increase migrant processing capacity. Under the
direction of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), staff from the Office
of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be employed in each center.  In
addition, social workers, medical providers and legal service providers
would be able to provide care and services within the centers, and
oversight organizations would have full access to ensure accountability.

During a defined "irregular migration surge event," processing and
adjudication of new arrivals would be prioritized. This would prevent
exacerbating the existing asylum backlog and discourage more migrants
from coming to the border. The bill also calls for a series of 3-year
pilot programs designed to speed up the asylum decision process, improve
case management services and maintain standards of care. To ensure
detained migrants understand the legal proceedings, the legal
orientation program
would be
expanded and processing centers would be required to facilitate
communication between migrants and outside counsel prior to credible
fear screenings. Finally, the bill would provide critical funding to
hire more immigration judges, asylum officers and case management
personnel.

The Bipartisan Border Solutions Act is not the only sign of progress at
the southern border. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary
Alejandro Mayorkas announced

on Tuesday that the agency is launching a new anti-smuggling effort in
collaboration with other federal agencies. "Operation Sentinel
"
will target transnational criminal networks that are taking advantage of
the surge of migrants at the southern border. These smugglers sadly
exploit vulnerable migrants desperate to arrive in the United States.
Since October, CBP has identified almost 5,000 migrants abandoned by
smugglers along the southwest border. We hope "Operation Sentinel" can
protect migrants, improve the safety of border communities and blunt the
influence of smuggling organizations.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis at the border is of great concern to all
Americans, regardless of political affiliation. The Bipartisan Border
Solutions Act and Operation Sentinel are indicators that we're heading
in the right direction. The introduction of the BBSA coincided with a
meeting of Senators

from both parties, discussing incremental immigration changes. With this
as a starting point, we hope that additional bipartisan legislation
moves through Congress, as President Biden mentioned

in last night's address to a joint session of Congress. To address
concerns at the southern border, and modernize our larger immigration
system to meet 21st century needs, bipartisan legislative change is
necessary.

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Adam

**Adam Estle**
Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum 

P.S. Instead of having our normal monthly Zoom conversation next week,
we're excited to invite you to attend a conversation with President
George W. Bush, Dr. Russell Moore, and Dr. Yuval Levin on May 6th at
12:30 PM ET. The event is sponsored by the George W. Bush Institute, the
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist
Convention and the National Immigration Forum. Registration
closes soon, so sign-up to join
this important conversation today!

[link removed]

**NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:******

[link removed]

**ASSOCIATED PRESS:**Houston-area sheriff is named to lead immigration
agency

**ROLL CALL:**Former GOP officials signal support for higher refugee cap

**THE HILL:**Biden calls for path to citizenship for dreamers,
farmworkers

**DALLAS MORNING NEWS:**As illegal border crossings drop, the face of
unauthorized immigration in the U.S. has changed

**NPR:**Biden Administration Limits Power Of ICE To Arrest Immigrants In
Courthouses

 

Donate Now

 

**Follow Us**

 

[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

 

 

 

The

**Only in America** podcast brings you to the people behind our
nation's immigration debate.

 

Listen now on:

 

**iTunes**
,
**Stitcher**
,
**Spotify** ,
and **more.**

 

 

National Immigration Forum

50 F Street NW, Suite 300

Washington, DC 20001

www.immigrationforum.org

 

Unsubscribe from BBB emails here.
Or opt-out from all Forum emails.

 

                                               
           
_________________

Sent to [email protected]

Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

National Immigration Forum, 50 F Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001, United States