Biden’s Immigration Plan May Hit Delays Amid GOP Opposition

Democrats in Congress said they are plowing ahead with President Joe Biden’s proposal for legislation that revamps immigration policy, but widening Republican opposition could push the debate on a comprehensive measure into later this year or next.

Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said he’ll introduce legislation reflecting Biden’s proposal, which would offer a pathway to citizenship for roughly 11 million people living illegally in the U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Democratic Representative Linda Sanchez of California will introduce Biden’s bill in that chamber.

Menendez said Wednesday that his goal is to see legislation arrive at Biden’s desk sometime this year so it doesn’t get caught up in midterm election politics in 2022. He also said he is reaching out to senators in both parties who have helped craft bipartisan deals in the past and to others who might want to engage.

“If we want to achieve it, then it has to be done this year because when we get into an election year the dynamics of that begin to change how much political capital people want to use,” Menendez told reporters.

The political landscape has changed since the last time Congress even got close to agreeing on a comprehensive immigration bill. Some of the Republicans who previously showed a willingness to compromise are no longer in the Senate, and progressive Democrats have shifted their demands in response to the way immigration was used as a wedge issue by former President Donald Trump to fire up his supporters.

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, whose cooperation will be needed for most legislative action in a Senate split 50-50, blasted Biden’s proposal. Speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, McConnell called the plan “blanket amnesty that would gut enforcement for American laws while creating huge new incentives for people to rush here illegally at the same time.”

Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, also panned Biden’s proposal, calling it “a radical immigration agenda of amnesty and open borders.”

Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, who will be working with Menendez to advance immigration legislation, said on the Senate floor Wednesday that he wants to move first a more narrow bill that provides a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers,” immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as young children.

“I want this to be the first measure that we consider in the area of immigration,” Durbin said, adding that his efforts on similar bipartisan proposals have stalled in Congress for 20 years and the young immigrants deserve a swift resolution to their status. He said he was willing to compromise on the terms to get it done, and he called on Republicans to come to the table.

“We have to take a step forward once and for all to help these young people,” he said.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee and long time backer of bipartisan immigration reforms, told reporters there probably won’t be enough votes in the Senate to pass anything beyond a bill helping the “Dreamers.”

Biden has already begun doing what he can without Congress to dismantle some of Trump’s get-tough approaches on immigration. Among other things, he signed an executive order directing the Homeland Security secretary to protect the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that provides deportation protections for Dreamers, which has been in limbo since Trump ended the program in 2017.

Biden also signed another executive action ending Trump’s restrictions on travel and immigration from some predominantly Muslim countries, as well as a proclamation to stop construction of Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile, DHS announced that starting Friday it will have a 100-day pause on deportations for certain non-citizens in the U.S.

Biden’s legislative proposal would provide a pathway to citizenship for roughly 11 million people living illegally in the U.S. It would be an eight-year process, down from 13, and an even shorter one for the Dreamers.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.

To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app.

Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake

Connect with us on…

Breaking News on YouTube