A group of House Democrats has unveiled a new plan for immigration and border security, signaling a growing willingness among the left to address the U.S. migrant crisis, as reported by Fox News on Friday, February 16, 2024.
The plan, released by the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of nearly 100 lawmakers describing themselves as “center-left,” aims to balance humanitarian and enforcement priorities while creating more legal avenues for migrants to enter and stay in the country.
Key proposals in the plan include:
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1. Permanently authorizing a program allowing international medical students who study in the U.S. to remain in the country after graduating.
2. Expanding legal pathways for migrant farmworkers and creating a new non-immigrant work visa category for U.S. industries facing labor shortages.
3. Providing a legal pathway for undocumented immigrants who have been working and paying taxes in the U.S. for at least five years, subject to a fine and a criminal background check.
4. Increasing the number of border agents and CBP officers at ports of entry by at least 500 and raising their pay.
5. Establishing an independent judiciary system for immigration courts and adding more judges to reduce the backlog of cases.
6. Creating new regional processing centers in South and Central America, where migrants can apply for asylum and be considered for lawful entry to the U.S. or other “participating nations” such as Canada and Spain.
This plan reflects a shift in the Democratic Party, acknowledging the need to overhaul the U.S. immigration system. The Democrats hope to work with the White House and the Senate to advance these proposals and address the root causes of the migrant crisis.
“Their framework offers a realistic, pragmatic, and humane approach to fixing our broken immigration system and securing our border,” the New Democrat Coalition stated, emphasizing that the plan is a starting point for bipartisan negotiations.
