Dems, backers face uphill immigration path after Senate blow

3 years ago 284

WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats launched an uphill combat to rescue their thrust to assistance millions of immigrants stay legally successful the U.S., their pathway unclear and the uncertainty exposing tensions betwixt enactment leaders and progressive groups demanding bold results.

Lawmakers and advocacy organizations said Monday they were already weighing caller options, a time aft the Senate parliamentarian said their sweeping connection indispensable fall from a $3.5 trillion measure that's shielded against bill-killing Republican filibusters. But it seemed powerfully apt that Democrats mightiness person to winnow their measurement to assistance less than the 8 cardinal immigrants they envisioned, and adjacent past faced daunting prospects to prevail.

The ruling by the nonpartisan parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, was a jarring stroke due to the fact that without the procedural protections, Democrats successful the 50-50 Senate deficiency the 60 votes required to extremity those GOP delays and o.k. migration legislation.

“It saddened me, it frustrated me, it angered me," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters astir MacDonough's ruling. “But marque nary mistake, the combat continues."

Democrats and extracurricular groups said their imaginable options included narrowing the fig of radical affected oregon the grade of ineligible extortion they would receive, oregon tinkering with dates successful existing laws that person controlled however galore immigrants already present tin stay.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., a starring pro-immigration advocate, said his enactment was considering a legalization effort “in a antithetic context” from the filibuster-protected bill. He besides said they mightiness prosecute a benignant of presumption that “does not needfully supply a pathway to legalization.” He provided nary item for either remark.

No Democrats said they were acceptable to springiness up, underscoring however their decades-long propulsion to supply ineligible presumption to immigrants is truthful important to galore enactment voters that politicians don't situation to look to wantonness it.

“This truly doesn't mean that this process is over,” Menendez said. He said Democrats would research “every enactment available” and support moving with MacDonough “until we get to a yes” from her.

Democrats' rejected provisions would unfastened multiyear doorways to ineligible imperishable residence, and possibly citizenship, for young immigrants brought illegally to the state arsenic children, often called “Dreamers.” It would besides screen immigrants with Temporary Protected Status who’ve fled countries stricken by earthy disasters oregon utmost violence, indispensable workers and workplace workers.

Under peculiar fund rules Democrats are utilizing to support their 10-year, $3.5 trillion bill, provisions cannot beryllium included if their fund interaction is outweighed by the magnitude of the policies they would impose.

MacDonough near nary uncertainty astir her view, penning successful a memo to lawmakers that Democrats' program to assistance imperishable residence to immigrants “is tremendous and enduring argumentation alteration that dwarfs its budgetary impact.”

Doris Meissner, who led the Immigration and Naturalization Service nether President Bill Clinton, said MacDonough's sentiment seemed to permission small country for Democrats to see large migration provisions successful the 10-year $3.5 trillion bill, which funds melodramatic changes successful societal information nett and situation programs.

“It seems to maine that this is conscionable truly an effort to beryllium capable to accidental politically that they’ve tried everything that they tin try,” Meissner, present a elder chap astatine the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, said of Democrats' vows to plow ahead.

White House property caput Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden remains “absolutely committed to putting successful spot a pathway to citizenship” and supports senators offering alternatives but cautioned, “We don’t power the result of the parliamentarian process.”

Some progressives person complained that with Democrats controlling the White House, Senate and House this year, the enactment indispensable propulsion ever harder for its argumentation goals. Pragmatists person responded that contempt Democratic power of some branches of government, their clout is tenuous due to the fact that margins successful Congress are wafer bladed — an evenly divided Senate and a House wherever Democrats tin triumph lone if they suffer 3 votes oregon fewer.

A league telephone with reporters illustrated those strains.

Greisa Martinez Rosas, enforcement manager of the progressive United We Dream Action, said groups volition determine which candidates to enactment successful upcoming elections based connected “not however hard the Democrats tried oregon however they went down fighting, but whether oregon not they delivered.”

Another advocator seemingly suggested that Senate Democrats should occurrence MacDonough if she doesn't let their migration language. “If astatine the extremity of the time they've exhausted each enactment and the parliamentarian is simply a ‘no,’ she is not an elected official,” said Lorella Praeli, co-president of Community Change Action, a progressive group.

Menendez said during that aforesaid telephone that helium understands advocates’ “view and their passion” but challenged whether firing MacDonough would beryllium “constructive.” He suggested Schumer mightiness not person the 51 Senate votes helium would request to bash that.

Asked separately if Democrats should simply ballot to disregard MacDonough's ruling, No. 2 Senate Democratic Leader Richard Durbin of Illinois told reporters, “I don’t judge that’s realistic. I deliberation the votes needed connected the level are not there."

MacDonough was appointed erstwhile the enclosure was controlled by Democrats 9 years ago.

One alternate discussed among Democrats would impact updating the alleged registry day successful existing instrumentality that lets migrants who arrived previously, and conscionable different conditions, go imperishable residents.

The existent registry day — Jan. 1, 1972 — hasn’t been adjusted since 1986, underscoring the absorption this hole has faced before. From 2.8 cardinal to 8 cardinal radical could beryllium helped if lawmakers travel past signifier and acceptable a caller day 8 to 18 years earlier the day of enactment, the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute has estimated.

Another enactment would revise a present outdated law, called conception 245i, that had fto definite migrants already successful the U.S. by a definite day use for imperishable residence if they’re sponsored by a comparative oregon leader and wage a fine. Without that, radical had to record their applications astatine U.S. consulates successful different countries.

Currently, that waiver covers immigrants successful the U.S. by Dec. 21, 2000, and for whom a sponsor filed an exertion by April 30, 2001, truthful it efficaciously nary longer helps people.

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Associated Press writers Padmananda Rama and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

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