This Issue: Biden enforcement rollback slowed by courts

Fri, Aug. 20^th

As the Biden Administration continues to quickly weaken overall immigration enforcement efforts, recent court decisions are slowing it down.

Last week, federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a temporary injunction against the Biden Administration's abrupt halt of the Trump-implemented Migrant Protection Protocols, more commonly known as the Remain in Mexico policy. The policy was key to ending the 2019 Border surge, and its dismantling has been a key driver for the ongoing border crisis.

And just yesterday, federal judge Drew Tipton issued a temporary injunction against the Biden Administration's revised deportation priorities. The Biden policy limits deportations to illegal aliens who have been convicted of an aggravated felony, have crossed the border since Nov. 1, or pose a threat to national security. Judge Tipton ruled that the plaintiffs -- the states of Texas and Louisiana -- were likely to win their claim that the deportation restrictions violate federal law.

Obviously, these court rulings, combined with earlier rulings that halted the DACA executive amnesty program and the 90-day deportation moratorium are good news for those of us that support a robust immigration enforcement effort. Time will tell if these rulings stand as the Biden Administration responds and appeals.

HOUSE RETURNS NEXT WEEK TO VOTE ON BUDGET RECONCILIATION

The House of Representatives is set to take a short break from its summer recess by returning to Washington on Monday to consider the Senate-passed budget reconciliation resolution. The Senate blueprint allows Congressional Democrats to add an amnesty for an estimated 8 million illegal aliens to its budget reconciliation bill this fall.

We've been asking NumbersUSA activists who live in key House districts to call their U.S. Representatives all week long. Thanks to everyone who took action to help stop amnesty!

We'll continue to keep the pressure on House Members until they leave town next week, so be on the lookout for action alerts on Monday morning.

At this time, we don't know if the House will allow Members to offer amendments to the budget reconciliation resolution. What we do know is that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to tie a vote on budget reconciliation to establishing debate rules for the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill. But for now, there's no planned vote on the infrastructure bill next week, only the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation blueprint.

Nine House Democrats have said that they will not vote for the budget reconciliation resolution unless there's a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Again, Pelosi's plan is to only vote on budget reconciliation and to hold off on the infrastructure vote until the Senate passes the final budget reconciliation bill later this fall. So we'll be watching to see if those 9 Democrats stand their ground or ultimately fold under pressure from their Leadership.

Chris Chmielenski
NumbersUSA Deputy Director

Washington Times: Rosemary commented on the Biden Administration's rule to speed up asylum adjudications.

Rosemary Jenks, vice president at NumbersUSA, which advocates for stricter immigration limits, said she expects approval rates to soar under the proposal because USCIS employees are far more lenient on asylum claims than judges.

"Like every other action the Biden administration has taken, this is yet another that will increase illegal immigration. They are just building the incentives to come," she said...

Ms. Jenks, however, said the asylum officer corps is heavily made up of immigrant rights activists, so she expects them to be far more lenient than immigration judges...

She called it the "first phase of hiring in support of this proposed rule."

Ms. Jenks said it is odd to hire before the proposal has been finalized.

"It shows their disdain for the Administrative Procedure Act. They're obviously just checking boxes. They have no care in the world for the comments they get," she said.

Judge Tipton Blocks Biden's Rule Narrowing the Scope of ICE Enforcement within the Country

Fri, Aug. 20^th

U.S. District Court Judge Drew Tipton recently imposed a preliminary injunction halting the Biden Administration's restrictive rules for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers which dangerously narrowed the scope of their enforcement operations searching for criminal illegal aliens and those with deportations orders from the courts.

New DOJ/DHS Regulation Allows the Inmates to Run Asylum

Jared Culver

Fri, Aug. 20^th

After President Biden repealed, but did not replace, President Trump's border security policies, we have all been waiting for the executive branch to provide their own vision for a secure border. A new proposed rule regarding asylum begins to paint a picture that resembles the haunting Munch classic "The Scream."

District Court Orders Biden Admin to Issue Unused 2020 Visa-Lottery Visas

Thu, Aug. 19^th

Earlier this week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the Biden Administration to issue 9,095 diversity visas awarded through the random visa lottery from FY 2020.

DHS Proposes Rule to Allow USCIS Officials to Adjudicate Asylum Claims

Wed, Aug. 18^th

The Biden administration has released its plan to "streamline" the U.S. asylum process by allowing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS) Officers to deny or approve requests for asylum and deportation deferrals made by aliens at the southern border.

U.S. District Judge Orders Biden Admin. Reinstate 'Remain In Mexico'

Mon, Aug. 16^th

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered the Biden Administration to reinstate the effective Migrant Protection Protocols (Remain in Mexico), stating that DHS "failed to consider several critical factors" before ending the program.