Photo: Lenin Nolly/ML News
House Democrats, Caucus Chairs, and Advocates Urge Senators to Reject Compromises on Immigrants’ Rights in Ongoing Border Negotiations
WASHINGTON – Immigration advocates, Caucus Chairs, and prominent House Democrats held a press conference on Thursday, January 18, in response to Senate negotiators considering anti-immigrant policies, and as Speaker Mike Johnson said he’d reject any border deal that doesn’t include H.R. 2., an extreme border policy already passed by House Republicans. Advocates’ demands also come just days after President Biden urged Congressional leaders, such as Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, to pass a national security supplemental package that would include foreign aid funding.
During the press conference, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair and CAPAC, Immigration Task Force Co-Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Congressional Black Caucus First Vice Chair Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Rep. Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17), and asylum seeker Ornela Medom called on Senators to reject any compromises on immigrants’ rights, including anti-immigrant proposals that would gut our asylum system, separate families, and send vulnerable people back to danger.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), said: “The United States became the greatest nation on earth because of the immigrants who built it. The right-wing campaign to demonize migrants and asylum-seekers will not be satisfied by the extreme demands that Republicans have put on the table. Congress cannot let the lives of the world’s most vulnerable families be used as political pawns.”
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair and CAPAC Immigration Task Force Co-Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), said: “Today, we raise our voices against the so-called ‘negotiations’ taking place on the border. Let’s be clear: this is not a negotiation. It’s extortion. Republicans are choosing to hold Ukraine funding hostage in exchange for cruel, unworkable and permanent policy changes on immigration. They just want to shut down the border and shut down immigration.”
Source: CASA
