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More than eight-in-10 voters in the poll believe the immigration system is broken and want to see policies that provide a pathway to citizenship, such as work permits for Dreamers. | Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

By Myah Ward

04/19/2023 05:00 AM EDT

Updated: 04/19/2023 10:12 AM EDT

President Joe Bidens immigration problem isnt just about policy. Its that hes not talking about the issue enough, voters say in a new survey from a Democratic polling firm.

Fifty-eight percent of voters in seven key Electoral College battleground states disapprove of how the president is handling immigration, compared with 32 percent who approve, according to a new swing-state poll from Global Strategy Group first shared with POLITICO. And a majority of voters surveyed, at 52 percent, believe Biden is ignoring problems at the border, while 50 percent said the president is ignoring the situation around undocumented immigrants.

Republicans talk more about immigration than Democrats, and they are trusted more to handle the issue, according to the poll. Both parties get low marks for how they are handling immigration, but Democrats face greater criticism because voters dont know where the party falls on the issue. Thirty-nine percent of voters trust Biden and Democrats in Congress more on the immigration issue, while 47 percent said they trust Republican lawmakers more.

The new poll conducted on behalf of immigrant advocacy group Immigration Hub and Voto Latino, a political organization focused on Latino voter turnout comes three weeks before the administration plans to end Title 42, the Trump-era policy that has allowed border agents to immediately expel millions of migrants on public health grounds for the past three years. Biden administration officials fear a surge at the border upon the policys expiration next month and have turned to more restrictive measures to tamp down a record number of migrants fleeing political and economic turmoil.

The White House should seize on the opportunity to get ahead of Republicans growing chatter leading up to the May 11 end date, said Beatriz Lopez, Immigration Hubs chief political and communications officer.

Its comms 101. Get ahead of the narrative. Talk about what youre doing. Talk about what you plan to do, Lopez said. But its talking about both not just the border but also what theyre planning to do to protect Dreamers and others who are every bit a part of the American community. That balanced approach is what works with voters.

The shift in border policy is expected to be a major political test for the Biden White House, which has rolled out a patchwork of solutions to combat a growing humanitarian crisis at the southern border. The Biden administration is also dealing with a gridlocked Congress, although lawmakers have long been unable to compromise on how to fix an outdated immigration system.

The fact is that in the 820 days since he sent Congress a comprehensive immigration reform bill, President Biden has taken unprecedented action to expand lawful immigration pathways, limit unlawful immigration, protect Dreamers and farmworkers, and increase border security. Because of this administrations work, unlawful immigration is down, legal immigration is up, weve got record funds for border security, and thousands of smugglers are now off the streets, White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan said in a statement.

Meanwhile, all that House Republicans have managed to accomplish since taking their (slim) majority is voting to abruptly lift Title 42 overnight with no plan in place for what comes next, proposing draconian funding cuts to border security, and playing partisan political games that do nothing to actually fix our long-broken immigration system.

House Republicans unveiled immigration legislation this week, with plans to further restrict asylum, expand family detention and crack down on the employment of undocumented workers. The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark up the bill Wednesday, though the measure has little chance of making it through the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) also unveiled a plan on Tuesday that relies on the White House taking executive action to address immigration. He shared his plan with the White House and other federal agencies, with ideas for creating new pathways to citizenship, increasing humanitarian aid for certain countries, increasing border security funding and expanding efforts to target human traffickers.

Menendezs suggestions come as the Biden administration prepares for a spike in border crossings come May, already the busiest time of year for migration. In addition to relying on more stringent immigration proposals to restrict entry to asylum-seeking migrants, the administration has discussed reinstating the detention of migrant families drawing great backlash from immigration advocates, lawyers and Democrats.

More than eight-in-10 voters in the poll 82 percent believe the immigration system is broken, and they want to see both enhanced border security and policies that provide a pathway to citizenship, such as work permits for Dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, and Temporary Protected Status for other migrants.

Sixty-five percent of respondents have a positive view of modernizing and improving the physical infrastructure at high-volume ports of entry to enhance screening and processing, while 76 percent want Dreamers and other undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. to gain legal status if certain requirements are met, including background checks. Sixty-four percent of voters back the Biden administration using its TPS authority.

Voters disapprove of the job both parties are doing on immigration because they see the system as deeply broken and in desperate need of a fix, said Nick Gourevitch, partner and managing director at Global Strategy Group. Recent polling shows voters clearly want Washington to act with solutions that are balanced that include both border security and pathways to citizenship and legal status for Dreamers and other immigrants.

The Biden administration announced plans last week to expand health care coverage to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but great concern remains about the fate of the popular Obama-era program, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children to receive work permits and deportation relief. After a flurry of court challenges, advocates and legal experts warn the program is headed to the Supreme Court, where the conservative bench seems likely to rule it illegal.

The online poll surveyed 1,201 likely 2024 general election voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin between April 4-11. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.8 points.

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Biden is ignoring immigration issues, voters say in poll - POLITICO

From the Ag Information Network, Im Bob Larson. The agricultural labor shortage continues to be a major issue impacting farmers and consumers across the country.

Enrique Sanchez is the American Business Immigration Coalitions intermountain state director, and he says this is a national security issue

SANCHEZ It is critical that we address this issue urgently to keep grocery store shelves stocked and lower food prices for Americans everywhere. We cannot underestimate the importance of this issue to our national security. As we have heard before, food security is national security. The USDA predicts that this year, our country will import more agricultural goods than we export. This should be a wake-up call for all of us.

Sanchez says reforming immigration policy took a big step forward in 2021, but proponents couldnt get it across the finish line

SANCHEZ In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act for the second time with bipartisan support. However, the Senate failed to take up the legislation, and we lost an important opportunity to make much-needed reforms to address the labor shortage crisis. We need the Senate to do its job, negotiate improvements to the House legislation, and get solutions onto the floor that help our nation's farmers continue to produce and help our nation's families afford to put food on their tables.

Tune in tomorrow for more on immigration reform to improve the ag labor shortage.

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Immigration Reform Pt 1 - AG INFORMATION NETWORK OF THE ... - AGInfo Ag Information Network

Mayor Eric Adams gave President Joe Biden and his administration a forceful message on Wednesday, as the mayor urged the White House to immediately authorize work permits for asylum seekers.

Washington. It is time to respond. Enough is enough. New Yorkers deserve better, Adams said at a press conference.

Approximetely 55,000 migrants have entered the citys shelter system over the past year, with more than 34,000 asylum seekers currentlyin the citys care, according to the mayor.

Currently, asylum seekers have a six-month waiting period before they can legally work.

Adams noted that the ability to work is a top priority for asylum seekers.

They dont want our free shelter. They dont want free food. They dont want free clothing. Theyre saying, 'Can we work?' Adams said.

Adams noted that due to a lack of work authorization permits, migrants have been forced to rely on illegal forms of employment.

City officials also called for extending immigration programs like Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian parole for asylum seekers, programs that allow migrants to remain in the U.S. for safety reasons.

Adams also called for an increase in staffing at immigration offices to reduce the processing time of asylum applications.

We have a heavy influx, but we dont have the population and the personnel to process them, Adams said.

In response, a White House official in a statement pointed to the need for Congress to act on immigration reform.

Individuals who arrive in the United States under our expanded parole programs are eligible for work authorization. Our administration has also used existing tools, like Temporary Protected Status, for certain populations. But none of these administrative tools are a substitute for congressional action. We need Congress to act. Only they can reform and modernize our decades-old immigration laws, the official said in an emailed response on Wednesday.

Adams call comes as Title 42, an immigration policy that allows federal officials to expel asylum seekers from entering the country during a public health emergency, is set to expire in May.

Currently, about 200 migrants are arriving daily to the city but that number is expected to grow next month.

Thousands of people are waiting at the border and potentially end up in New York City, Adams said before admonishing the Biden administration for their lack of help. Why are you doing this to New York? The national government has turned its back on New York City.

Meanwhile, the city has spent about $817 million sheltering and feeding asylum seekers and is said to be on track to spend $1.4 billion by June.

Adams is expected to visit Washington on Friday for a conference. He will also meet with several White House administration officials to talk about asylum seekers.

Link:
Mayor calls on president to expedite work authorization for migrants - Spectrum News NY1

FAIR Take | April2023

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), along with the strongest-ever assembled coalition of immigration groups and leaders, has repeatedly called on the House Majority to fulfill the promise it made in its Commitment to America. and pass legislation that addresses the Biden Border Crisis. We expect action could occur as early as thisweek.

Since the 118th Congress began in January, FAIR has worked to help formulate a strategy to pass strong immigration legislation to combat the Biden Administrations reckless and open-border policies. In a recent letter to House leadership, FAIR and its partners reiterated that we expect changes to our laws to close loopholes that have been weaponized by the Biden Administration. Specifically, we want meaningful solutions to protect the border, strengthen our asylum laws and prevent fraudulent claims, end the abuse of parole authority, and require re-implementation of authorities like Title 42 and the Migrant ProtectionProtocols.

This week, as Congress returns from recess, FAIR is going to continue working with leaders to push legislation through the committee process. But, we cannot do it alone. We need you to urge Congress to keep its promise, secure the border, and end Bidens lawless policies. The time is now. Our nation simply cannot withstand the damage being done to our sovereignty, security, andwell-being.

Stay tuned for FAIR Action Alerts and ways you canhelp.

Read more:
This Week: FAIR Pushes Congress to Act - Federation for American Immigration Reform

News

By Victor Nava and MaryAnn Martinez

April 19, 2023 | 6:05pm

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas rose out of his seat Wednesday during a tense hearing on Capitol Hill and turned to face the family of a grandmother and 7-year-old girl killed last month in a Texas car crash involving an alleged human smuggler.

Theyre sitting right behind you, Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) told Mayorkas as he presented the relatives of Maria Tambunga, 71, and her granddaughter, Emilia Tambunga, 7, during the House Homeland Security Committee hearing.

The Tambungas were killed March 13 when Rassian Natery Comer, 22, blew through a red light and smashed his truck into their car at an intersection near the Mexico border.

According to authorities, Comer was fleeing police and transporting 11 illegal immigrants in his truck two of whom also died in the wreck.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating Comer for human smuggling and other crimes.

They came here today because they want answers, Pfluger told Mayorkas of the Tambungas next of kin. They came here today because of the failures of you and your leadership. They came here because they want closure.

Pfluger then demanded that Mayorkas apologize to the family for his failure to secure the border, which the lawmaker argued led to the death of the Tambungas.

Mr. Mayorkas, will you turn around and offer them your condolences and an apology for the failure of your administration that led to the death of their loved ones? asked Pfluger. Theyre right there.

Mayorkas partially obliged, turning to face the grieving family and expressing his condolences, but he did not offer an apology.

Mr. Chairman, may I stand in turn? Mayorkas asked, before addressing the family without a microphone.

The DHS chief could be heard telling the group, My heart breaks for your loss. My heart breaks for the loss of all victims of criminal activity.

Mayorkas then agreed to meet with the family in Pflugers office on the condition that the Republican not politicize the meeting, adding that the lawmaker was politicizing tragedy.

Mr. Secretary, the only person politicizing anything here is you, Pfluger shot back. The security of this country is not a political matter.

Gin Jespersen, aunt to Emilia and daughter of Maria, told The Post on Wednesday that Mayorkas followed through with his promise to meet with the family, during which they showed him images of the horrific injuries the little girl suffered in the crash..

We showed him a video of little Emilias head blown away, Jespersen told The Post.

Jespersen added that Mayorkas was very apologetic and very sincere during their 15-20 minute meeting, but at one point he tried to talk a little bit of politics.

He said, my colleagues here and I said, No, no, no, no, no. I dont care if hes Democrat or Republican, were going to town on all of you, all because we cant bring them back, but we can create change. Im asking you to work with this group here to create change. Theres no reason why you cannot create change, Jespersen recalled.

After Mayorkas mentioned an immigration reform bill, Jespersen said she told him, I dont need an immigration reform bill. I need you to send 3,000 troops down there to secure the border and then talk about immigration reform.

Were all Mexican-American here, and you just ignore us, she recalled telling the DHS chief. Its like were not down there [on the border] and its not happening, and it is. I would ask you to come down and be with the families.

We were pretty hard on him, Jespersen said. We wanted to be heard, not necessarily wanted to hear his rhetoric.

She added that the family asked Mayorkas to talk to President Biden about Emilia and Maria.

Mayorkas has faced intense scrutiny from Republicans since taking office, and more so since the GOP took control of the House after the 2022 midterm elections.

Two resolutions to impeach the DHS secretary have been introduced in the House, which accuse the Biden official of high crimes and misdemeanors related to his handling of the crisis at the southern border.

Mayorkas admitted to Senate lawmakers Tuesday that there is likely to be a surge of migrants at the border next month when the pandemic-era Title 42 swift deportation policy ends, and he offered little to assuage Republican fears that his agency is prepared for the influx.

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Mayorkas made to face kin of Texas grandma, child killed by 'smuggler' - New York Post