A Clash is Coming: Immigration Legislation May be on the Horizon

Early this month, a House GOP Conference was held to strategize for the immigration legislation that is prompted to occur in the third week of June. President Trump spoke out last week about the immigration debate, believing that the majorities of the Senate and GOP’s House will be preserved after finding a permanent solution. "The Democrats want to use it as a campaign issue, and I keep saying, 'I hope they do.' The fact is the Democrats are lousy politicians. They are lousy on policy," Trump stated. The conservative lawmakers are not open to any outcomes that create alternate paths to citizenship for immigrants. The constant battle between the conservatives and the more moderate GOP’s on these immigration policies remain in competition.

Conservatives in the House recently shut down a farm bill that was presented on the floor to continue to “take a stand” on immigration. The moderates are currently working to gain 218 signatures on a discharge petition allowing the hand of party leaders be able to hold votes within the immigration legislation, hopefully aiding to policy reform. Representative Jeff Denham is currently one of the leaders on gaining signatures for the petition. Denham is pushing for an immigration policy that would create a path to citizenship for people who were brought to the United States as children. The exchange for this path to citizenship would be money to aid secure the US-Mexican border. His plan incorporates reaching a legislative solution that the House can agree on, while keeping the petition alive for backup. "We are still working with the speaker, House leadership to come up with that bill, hopefully, a compromised bill, and if not move forward on a full debate in front of the American public," Denham stated.

Democrats are continuing to fight for better immigration policies especially with the influx of mistreatment of families at the US-Mexico border. Approximately 600 children were taken away from their parents and families due to the current immigration practices at the border. Representative Ruben Gallego states, "This is all because of Donald Trump, and this is all because they're trying to appease their base. That's all this is." Many US citizens agree with Gallego, as last week there were thousands of protesters across the country speaking out against the inhumane act of separating families at the border. Senator Dianne Feinstein believes that Congress has a “moral obligation” to help in these vulnerable situations.

Joe Crowley, House Democratic Caucus Chairman, plans to introduce an immigration plan to where formal records are required to be kept for all stops and searches at the border by Immigration officials. These records would have to then be shared with Congress to gain more supervision over the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. This influx of contrasting interests within immigration legislation is leaving everyone skeptical about a strategy being implemented this month. I

f you have any questions regarding the current state of the immigration legislation please contact Attorney Nicholas J. Mireles at NicholasMireleslegal@gmail.com.