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One of the primary goals of our nations immigration policy is to protect refugees. The Biden administration announced Monday that it is raising the refugee ceiling to 62,500 people this fiscal year. Our nation has a long history of providing relief to individuals seeking protection in America because of persecution in their home country. While support for refugees is consistent with our values, the federal government must provide additional federal dollars to states which will shoulder much of the financial burden in providing services for these refugees. Many states are already struggling with the financial strain caused by COVID.

In his address before Congress last week, President Joe BidenJoe BidenCensus results show White House doubling down on failure Poll: Americans back new spending, tax hikes on wealthy, but remain wary of economic impact True immigration reform requires compromise from both sides of the aisle MORE urged members of Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation. This has been a common refrain for over 30 years and yet time and time again nothing happens in our Congress. Today the need for immigration reform in this country has never been greater.Unfortunatelythe possibility of legislation has never appeared more unrealistic.

The Biden administrations reaction to the recent surge on our southern border has left many Americans doubting the ability of the federal government to successfully solve the immigration stalemate. The administration apparently did not anticipate how public comments from the Biden camp during the 2020 presidential campaign would encourage migrants in poorersections of Mexico and Central America, many of them children, to flock to our southern border. Surges like the current one place an incredible and unfair burden on state resources.

Republican members of Congress and certain Republican state officials have publicly condemned the administrations response to the present border crisis. To be sure some of the criticism is warranted but according to the Biden administration the blame rightly belongs to the previous administration for their failure to cooperate during the presidential transition. Whoever is to blame,the finger pointing has to stop. Rather than gloat about thepresident's perceivedfailure, the American public would be better served if Republicans began work with Democrats to find common ground and pass comprehensive immigration legislation.

Seven years ago, my friend and colleague David Strange and I formally proposed a conservative and compassionate approach to immigration reform. We acknowledged that not all aspects of our immigration systemisbroken, but that adjustments wereabsolutely necessary. We suggested thenthatthe foundation of any reform has to be border security. Our government has the right to determine who is in our country and the obligation to secure our borders from those who would harm us.

I, and others, have never been a proponent of a border wall. It would be more effective and far less expensive in discouraging illegal crossings if we were to take advantage of the natural border terrain, useperimeter fencing and other similar barriers, rely on greater use of technology such as night sensors, drones and motion detectors and employ more border patrol agents. Whatever the method, border security must be the top priority.

But our immigration policy has to recognize certain economic realities. The truth is, immigrant workers are desperately needed in the farming, hospitality and food service industries. Biden estimates there are nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country today. Our government is not able to remove them all at once, and even if it could do so, it would certainly devastate certain industries. Yet we cannot allow undocumented immigrants to continue to live in the shadows in an undocumented status. It is far more humane and better policy to identify those individuals who qualify and put them into some type of temporary legal status. If, for example, a migrant has a criminalrecordthen that individualhas toleave America. We should welcome those with a clean record and specific skills useful to our economy.

Additionally, our government should revamp the visa process to better deal with individuals who come into this country legally on either a student or work visa, but whothen remain here in an unlawful status once the visa expires. The federal government should ensure that technology is available to make it easier for employers and school administrators to keep track of those here on a work or student visa.

We also need to mandate tougher workplace enforcement. Mostimmigrantscome from countries where jobs are scarce; they come to America to work. Some employers often take advantage of their needs in order to hire cheaper labor. Those that do should be fined if they knowingly and repeatedly hire undocumented migrants. Through advancingtechnologywe can and should make it easier and more cost effective for employers to verify the legal status of those who they seek to hire.

There appears to be serious disagreementover whether the United States should ultimately provide a pathway to citizenship to immigrants who come into the country unlawfully, or who overstay their visas. Biden believes we should. I have no disagreement with that, but the federal government should only grant citizenship to those who meet certain qualifications and conditions spelled out in the legislation. Most undocumented immigrants come to America only to seek a better life for their families, not to become U.S. citizens. Many would be content knowing they will not be deported because they are here in some type of legal status. If, however, lawmakers vote to provide a pathway to citizenship, the law should also require the immigrant to pay afine and back taxes(thus there can be no claim of amnesty) and to wait for a reasonableperiod of timeto begin the citizenship process. This ensures that others waiting patiently outside the U.S., and whofollowedthe rules, are not disadvantaged but treated fairly.

As for children brought to the United States by their parents who entered unlawfully,theso calleddreamers, I support finding a way for them to stay in America under some type of legal status that includes a pathway to citizenship. For many of these younger individuals, America is the only home they have ever known. They should not have to pay fortheactionsof their parents.

Former President George W. Bush, recently released a book titled Out of Many, One: Portraits of Americas Immigrants. Through this book he said he hoped to humanize the debate on immigration and he called on Congress to tone down the harsh rhetoric. I know achieving the right immigration policy is hard. The subject triggers strong viewpoints because it touches upon our national security and economy, as well as our foreign policy and federalism. Discussions over immigration policy also trigger intense emotions because it potentially affects family and the very essence of who we are as a country and as a people.

The recent comments by Bush are consistent with his efforts in 2007 to encourage Congress to pass legislation, which failed in part because of Republican opposition.In order to make progress, everyonewill have tocompromise, no one should expect to get everything that they want in the legislation.Rather than continuing to operate under a patchwork network of executive orders, it is time for Congress to do its job. Members were elected to do that which is hard, yet necessary for the American people. If members of this Congress cannot get the job done or are unwilling to do the work, then voters need to consider replacing them with members who will.

Alberto R. Gonzales is the former U.S. attorney general and counsel to the president in the George W. Bush administration. Presently he is the dean at Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, Tennessee.

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True immigration reform requires compromise from both sides of the aisle | TheHill - The Hill

President BidenJoe BidenCensus results show White House doubling down on failure Poll: Americans back new spending, tax hikes on wealthy, but remain wary of economic impact True immigration reform requires compromise from both sides of the aisle MOREsannouncementthis week that he will increase the annual refugee admissions cap to 62,500 for the fiscal year has triggered predictable howls of opposition. Sen. Tom CottonTom Bryant CottonOpposition to refugees echoes one of America's most shameful moments White House defends CDC outreach to teachers union Allowing a racist slur against Tim Scott to trend confirms social media's activist bias MORE (R-Ark.) falselyclaimed that Increasing the refugee admissions cap will put American jobs and safety at risk.House Minority Whip Steve ScaliseStephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseCNN's Jake Tapper questions giving some GOP leaders airtime Pelosi mocks House GOP looking for 'non-threatening female' to replace Liz Cheney The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Emergent BioSolutions - Can Cheney defy the odds and survive again? MORE (R-La.)tweeted,Democrats are now considering sneaking mass amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants through Congress under the cover of the budget process.

These statementsecho a shameful moment 82 years ago when Congress considered a similar proposal for Jewish children seeking refuge from Nazi Germany. In fact, on May 5, 1939,a joint subcommittee of Congress approved bipartisan legislation to help those children. What happened to the bill is a little-known but repugnant stain on American values.

In November 1938, the Reichs official antisemitism took a new turn when violent riots against Jews spread across Germany and Austria. Businesses were destroyed, synagogues burned-down, Jews beaten and murdered.But America had no room for any additional refugees. Immigration law dating back to the 1920s capped visas from Germany at 27,370 a number that was reached almost instantly at the beginning of each year.

Two members of Congress formed an unlikely political alliance to respond. Sen. Robert Wagner (D-N.Y.) was a liberal firebrand, Tammany Hall Democrat and FDR loyalist who pushed elements of the New Deal through the Senate. Rep. Edith Rogers(R-Mass.) was a conservative Republican who graduated from a Paris finishing school and become a vociferous opponent of New Deal business regulations. In February 1939, they introduced a bill to lift caps on visas from Germany.

Wagner and Rogers crafted the bill to minimize opposition. The quota would be increased by 20,000, but over a two-year period.To address fears about immigrants taking jobs, new visas would be issued only to children under the age of 14.To ensure that no federal funds were used to support the child refugees, all applicants would have to prove that they would not become charges of the state. And to minimize antisemitic backlash, the word Jewish was excluded from the bill.

With those conditions, whocould oppose increasing the cap on refugees from children imperiled by Hitlers Reich? Initially, no one publicly, at least. The bill was supported by the American Federation of Labor, the Federal Council of Churches, former Republican presidential candidate Alf Landon, former Republican Governor Robert La Follete, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and even former Republican First Lady Grace Coolidge, who announced that she and her neighbors in Northampton, Mass., would personally care for 25 of the refugee children.

On April 20, in room 412 of the Russell Senate Office Building, a joint subcommittee opened hearings on the Wagner-Rogers proposal.That day, 14 witnesses testified in support, and only one against. But as debate continued over the next few weeks, opposition was mobilized. Francis Kinnicutt, president of theAllied Patriot Society, testified that immigrants may be suffering from some disease or insanity and that we dont want to be swamped with immigrants. J.E. Nieman of the Regular Veterans Association argued:The bringing of foreigners into the United States is a direct attack against our national defense program. America doesnt need foreigners.

Despite the attacks, the joint subcommittee voted on May 5 to report Wagner-Rodgers to their full respective committees.The opposition became louder and uglier.The very next day, Sen. Robert Reynolds (D-N.C.) strode to a stage at the Hotel Astor in New York and proclaimed opposition to the bill.Save America for Americans. The danger is from within. At a Washington cocktail party, Mrs. James H. Houghteling, wife of the commissioner of immigration, remarked that the problem with the bill was that 20,000 children would all too soon grow up into 20,000 ugly adults.

The bill was effectively killed in a feat that only the United States Congress could have pulled off having it both ways. On June 20 the full Senate Immigration Committee passed Wagner-Rogers but with a not-so-slight catch: 20,000 children would begranted visas, but only as part of the existing quota of 27,370. America would open its doors to them but shut it to most of the Jews still trying to flee Europe.Wagner was so enraged with the amendment that he ended up opposing his own bill.

We know how tragically this story ends for the vast majority of Jewish children facing persecution, oppression and tyranny in Nazi Germany: 1.5 million perished.

So, when I hear opponents of a modest plan to add 62,500 refugee visas forpeople facing life-threatening persecution, I think about what happened in May 1939 and the weeks that followed, when Congress failed so catastrophically.

Steve IsraelSteven (Steve) J. IsraelOpposition to refugees echoes one of America's most shameful moments White House races clock to beat GOP attacks Overnight Defense: Biden's stalled Pentagon nominee gets major support | Blinken presses China on North Korea ahead of meeting | Army will not return medals to soldier Trump pardoned MORE represented New York in the House over eight terms and was chairman with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2011 to 2015. He is now the director of the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University. You can follow his updates@RepSteveIsrael.

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Opposition to refugees echoes one of America's most shameful moments | TheHill - The Hill

By Michelle Funes

The Biden administration called to end the use of the terms illegal alien and assimilation by U.S. immigration agencies.

Under the U.S. Citizenship Act, Biden imposed many new policies in the American immigration system. One of these included abandoning the term that was often used by the Trump administration. In doing so, Biden hopes to modernize the immigration system to reflect more positive ideals.

Biden is set to remove this term effective immediately. According to a memo sent to the department heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, there will be an immediate transition to start using more appropriate words that reflect Bidens new bill.

Troy Miller, a Customs and Border Protection official, expressed, We set a tone and example for our country and partners across the world. This statement also indicated, We enforce our nations laws while also maintaining the dignity of every individual with whom we interact. The words we use matter and will serve to further confer that dignity to those in our custody.

This change in policy will begin to reverse many of the negative attitudes that were carried in from past administrations. Prior to these changes by the U.S. Citizenship Act, terms like illegal alien and assimilation were common in reports made on social media, statements made by former President Trump and official documents made by ICE.

In changing these terms, Biden hopes to recognize, America as a nation of immigrants and create a more humane approach to Americas complex immigration issues. Despite his good intentions, many Republican officials have responded to his actions negatively.

Senator Tom Cotton tweeted, We use the term illegal alien because theyre here illegally. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also expressed his disappointment as he tweeted, President Biden is more concerned about Border Patrols vocabulary than he is about solving the border crisis. These backward priorities are only making the situation worse.

However, there are those that agree with Bidens new initiative such as Representative Nanette Barragn who stated, These changes are a much-needed shift away from the negative rhetoric weaponized by the previous administration, and a small change that reveals how humanity can be reflected in our immigration policies.

There is a lot of division when it comes to Bidens approaches to the border crisis. Though he hopes to find bipartisan support when it comes to these measures, which would allow him to pass more immigration bills.

Further, in March the House voted two very important immigration bills into action. One bill created a path to citizenship for about two million dreamers and those seeking refuge from their home countries under a Temporary Protected Status. Another bill on the same day would eventually grant almost a million farmworkers citizenship along with their families. Both of these bills passed with bipartisan support.

It is also important to note that a special budget procedure, reconciliation, can be used to get the bill passed immediately without full support. This measure was taken to pass the COVID-19 relief package that was not supported by many Republican lawmakers.

Ultimately, Biden has many different routes that he can take to pass immigration policies. The approval of these policies from his fellow lawmakers will depend on the issues that are being addressed and if there are any other ways that he can tackle them.

Michelle Funes is a second year at UC Davis. She is currently an English major and hopes to double major with Communications. She is from Southern California, more specifically Covina.

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Immigration Agencies Called on by Biden Administration to Abandon Use of Term 'Illegal Alien' - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

Overstay? No need to pay.

The Biden administration is easing up on scofflaw illegal immigrants by pulling the plug on President Trumps program to fine them for defying court-issued deportation orders and forgiving all the debts racked up under the policy.

We can enforce our immigration laws without resorting to ineffective and unnecessary punitive measures, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday.

Under a Trump-issued January 2017 executive order, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued steep fines to non-citizens who refused to leave the country when ordered to do so.

Penalties started at $3,000 and could mount by up to $500 a day in one case adding up to a staggering $497,777, NPR reported in 2019.

But the agency was unable to collect on most of the bills, CNN reported, only recouping about 1 percent of the fines issued.

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The Department of Homeland Security stopped issuing penalties in January, the agency said and added that it intends to work with the Department of Treasury to cancel the existing debts of those who had been fined.

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Biden forgives Trump's fines on illegal immigrants who refused deportation - New York Post

President Biden is considering creating an anti-corruption task force to address mass migration coming from Central America, a top U.S. official announced Thursday.

Special Envoy to the Triangle Nations, Ricardo Zuniga, told reporters the task force would help local prosecutors manage corruption contributing to human rights abuses.

HARRIS TO TRAVEL TO GUATEMALA, MEXICO AMID CRITICISM OVER BORDER CRISIS

"Governance addressing corruption is at the center ofwhat the Biden administration is focusing on," Zuniga said.

Illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border has risen steeply this year, with migrants coming predominately from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Biden has said he will take on the immigration crisis by reversing Trump-era policies and addressing the "root causes" contributing to migrants fleeing the Northern Triangle countries in Central America.

Zuniga told reporters Thursday the White House will release a proposal next month to disperse $4 billion over a four-year period. The plan is set to focus on promoting governance and transparency, economic development and security.

Biden tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with taking on the complex immigration crisis, and she is set to travel to Mexico and Guatemala "soon," the administration announced last week.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM VP HARRIS ON 'POLITICALLY MOTIVATED' BORDER DECISION

"We're also addressing structural problems [that have] infected so many lives and Central America, whether they regard insecurity or lack of opportunities," Zuniga said, applauding Harris"leadership."

The United States will also be imposing sanctions on Central American officials involved in corruption by barring their travelto the U.S., and assessing financial penalties.

"We have a mandate from the U.S. Congress to develop lists of officials who are involved in corruption and to propose actions against them," Zuniga said.

The Special Envoytraveled to Guatemala and El Salvador earlier this month, but was refused a meeting by Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele, who accused the administration of ill-treatmentsignalinga tough road ahead for officials in charge of combating massmigration.

Zuniga also said that Mexico "has been our key partner in efforts to manage migration."

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"We have really focused on countries that are at center of movement of people," he explained Thursday, adding that the U.S. is developing "working groups" in El Salvador and Honduras.

Harris is set to hold a virtual meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei Monday.

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Biden to assemble anti-corruption task force to take on illegal immigration - Fox News