A coalition made up of leading immigration reduction groups, along with some past Administration figures, has united to send a letter to Republican Congressional leaders urging them to pass an impactful immigration bill in the next Congress. In the letter, the coalition recommends that Congress include in such a bill the robust immigration security and restriction policies listed in the document.
The letter describes the border security bill as proposed a “flagship” bill designed to help stem the border crisis fostered by the Biden Administration’s policies. Besides plugging numerous immigration security holes, the legislation would serve as a platform for additional reforms to the U.S. immigration system that would benefit the American people.
NumbersUSA, one of the 16 organizations and 12 former senior Administration officials signing the letter, is a nonpartisan immigration-reduction group that mobilizes its members to lobby decision-makers to improve the broken U.S. immigration system. The organization was founded by its President, Roy Beck, in response to two national commissions on immigration issues. One was a bipartisan congressional commission chaired by former Rep. Barbara Jordan, and another was a commission created under presidential authority and chaired by former Sen. Tim Wirth. Both commissions found that reducing immigration numbers towards their historical average was in the best interest of the United States and its authorized residents.
The letter appeals to the upcoming Congress to take strong measures in the interest of securing the country’s borders and closing loopholes in current immigration policies.
It states:
“When the 118th Congress opens with new majorities in both chambers, it will be in large part because Americans have rejected the Biden administration’s purposeful dismantling of our nation’s borders and our immigration enforcement infrastructure.
Congress should be emboldened with the mandate to immediately legislate unflinchingly, ensuring that neither this nor any future administration is again able to weaponize loopholes in the immigration system—and defiantly refuse to follow plain law—to purposefully drive mass illegal immigration to the United States.”
The signers of the letter note that past Congresses have not been successful in passing legislation to deal with the issues caused by our flawed immigration system. Additionally, they state the typical approach of the GOP of boosting resources and building a border barrier will not be enough to undo the tremendous damage done by the immigration policies promulgated by the Biden Administration.
The letter calls for a different approach – closing the loopholes that beset the immigration and asylum system. In this regard, the letter further states:
“Without closing the loopholes and other changes, the Biden Administration’s policies will continue to act as a powerful magnet, attracting millions of illegal aliens into our country. To retake control of our border and properly address what is sure to be an electoral mandate, we urge you to unite behind flagship introductory legislation for the upcoming Congress.”
The letter’s signers recommend a number of policy changes to improve the immigration system, including:
- Excluding amnesty of any type.
- Creating an immediate expulsion authority.
- Making it clear that migrants will not be eligible for asylum if entering the country via a safe third country.
- Restricting prosecutorial discretion.
- Reforming TVPRA (the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which has served to encourage a surge in the migration of unaccompanied alien children into the country.
Roy Beck, who worked as a journalist covering politics in DC before becoming a policy analyst specializing in immigration and U.S. population issues, founded NumbersUSA to encourage government policies that benefit society by enabling the government to choose the optimal number of authorized immigrants to enter the country. Now the largest grassroots organization focused on immigration reduction in the U.S., NumbersUSA has more than eight million participants including conservatives, liberals and moderates. Its members are encouraged to persuade public officials that reducing immigration numbers toward traditional levels will help current and future generations enjoy a standard of living that isn’t hampered by excessive immigration.
Legislative changes proposed by the letter include measures that would complete the border wall, increase the standard for “credible fear” when applying for asylum, boost the resources dedicated to CBP and ICE, fully implement the “Remain-in-Mexico” policy, make it clear that gang violence and domestic violence are not sufficient grounds to claim asylum, and grant states the authority to participate in enforcing immigration laws.
Enacting and enforcing these fixes, according to the signers, would put an end to the crisis at the border. They further write: “Ending the border crisis will be a mandate from the American people.” The letter goes on to state that the immigration reforms it outlines would serve as just a first step in undoing the damage done by the Biden Administration to legal immigration and interior enforcement. More rational legislation, according to the signers, would be needed to fully deal with this damage.
