NBC News is reporting that this week Joe Biden will unveil what his administration is calling the “U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021,” a bill that is intended to embody at least some of the promises he made in the campaign:
- Provide an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in this country, which number at least 11 million and maybe twice that
- Expand the refugee resettlement program
- Deploy “more technology” to the southern border
Provisions for the following may be included as well:
- Make available asylum processing in home countries for minors
- Expand benefits for DREAMers
- End the “public charge” rule
Biden hopes to be able to push through his ambitious plans by breaking them into two or more separate bills, with the main objective, according to officials, to make ongoing “progress.”
The effort will be led in the Senate by Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and in the House by Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA). Menendez kicked off the effort with a written statement, saying,
This plan is not only about fixing our broken immigration system, but building a better one that reunites families, brings the undocumented community out of the shadows and on a path to citizenship, stands up for human rights, addresses root causes of migration, and includes a smart border security strategy.
In response, Matthew Tragesser of the Federation for Immigration Reform (FAIR) said:
Providing a mass amnesty, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and a difficult economic situation, is an affront to American citizens and legal immigrants. Rather than introduce legislation that assists Americans and legal immigrants, President Biden is capitulating to special interests and a fringe portion of his base.
For more, see the Daily Caller.