April 11 :
Democratic Washington state representative and subcommittee ranking member Pramila Jayapal voiced her displeasure with President Biden's remarks about "closing the border" by executive order. She continued by criticising the huge backlog in processing of lawful immigrants, an issue that skilled workers and Indian immigrants have long complained about.
Jayapal expressed her deep disappointment at the president's remarks on April 10, 2024, regarding his intentions to utilise his authority to "shut down the border" and restrict asylum seekers' ability to enter the country.
We must lead with humanity and decency if Democrats are to avoid repeating the mistakes of Trump and Miller. Thirty years of data demonstrate that strategies based solely on enforcement are ineffective.
She finally gave in and acknowledged that President Biden was correct to propose a measure for comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform upon taking office, as well as to acknowledge that the policies implemented by President Trump had failed. She went on to say, "It is therefore even more disappointing to hear President Biden’s recent comments" that seek to fix the immigration system's problems.
"What we need is for the President to keep highlighting the importance of immigration reforms that create efficient legal pathways for migrants to enter the US, for increased funding so that the system can function, and for a transparent acknowledgment of the invaluable contributions that immigrants have made to our nation on all levels."
Jayapal stated that the current issues could be attributed to the fact that the legal immigration system has remained unchanged. The truth, according to Jayapal, is that the legal immigration system has not been updated in 30 years, which has rendered it useless and in disarray, and this is directly related to the border crisis. The enormous backlog in processing applications through the legal method was brought to Jayapal's attention.
"People turn to unscrupulous actors, including cartels, who promise them they can get in by going to the border," Jayapal said, "when the legal process is so backed up that it takes decades for legal residents to get their children into the country or when employers simply can't hire the people they need due to a backlog of 2 million people who haven't been processed." Another example is when asylum seekers must wait over 8 years to have their cases heard, and when there are so few immigration judges, people resort to these extreme measures.
She said Republicans have "consistently" obstructed bipartisan reforms and rejected Democratic solutions "because they want to keep immigration out there as a political issue, rather than solving the problem." This is according to her.
The solution is simple: increase funding for the immigration system and create more legal avenues. As a result, the border will be less crowded and the process will be more organised, secure, and compassionate, according to Jayapal.
"We must lead with the vision of an America that welcomes immigrants and establishes a safe and orderly immigration system," Jayapal said, citing her experience as an immigrant who arrived at the United States alone at the age of sixteen and her involvement in the fight for immigrant rights over the past two decades.
