What the agreement in the Senate says to toughen migration to the United States

Senators of USA published on Sunday the long-awaited agreement between the Republican and Democratic parties to impose stricter immigration and asylum laws, as well as greater control on the border with Mexico. If it comes to fruition, this pact will also allow the unlocking of some 60 billion dollars in aid for Ukraine. But not everything has been said, since what was agreed could end up shipwrecking in the House of Representatives.

According to the chain cnnthe agreement aims to empower the Government of USA for significantly restrict the crossings of undocumented immigrants on the border with Mexico. If passed, it would dramatically change immigration law for the first time in decades. The entire legislative package totals $118.2 billion.

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In a first reaction, the president Joe Biden He said Sunday that the pact provides for “a new emergency authority to close the border” between the United States and Mexico when “it is collapsed.”

“It would give me, as president, new emergency authority to close the border when it becomes overwhelmed”said the president.

Since late last year, Republicans in the House of Representatives They have blocked an aid package for Ukraine for about 60,000 million dollars. They do not want to give the green light to the new game if before Biden does not tighten immigration controls at the border. All this discussion takes place in a context of the electoral campaign for the presidential elections in November of this year in USAwhere the Democrat will seek re-election and will likely face donald trump.

These are the key points of the agreement:

1.- Aid for Ukraine and Israel in exchange for border security

The proposal of the senators allocates more than $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine14 billion dollars to Israel and 4.8 billion to Taiwan. In addition, 10 billion dollars for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and other places. Another 20 billion dollars will be allocated for security on the border with Mexico.

The money that will be allocated to immigration authorities will be used to hire thousands of officers who will be in charge of evaluating the asylum applications. In addition, there will be hundreds of new agents of the Border Patrol that will help stop the flow of fentanyl that enters the country through the crossings with Mexico.

2.- The asylum process

The agreement will severely reduce the scope of the right to asylum which is managed in the border between the United States and Mexicosomething that if approved will end a protocol that has already lasted for decades.

Thus, the proposal raises the standard for migrants to qualify for apply for asylum and increases the ability to detain and deport them if necessary.

The Senate agreement will accelerate the asylum process to qualify cases within six months, compared to the current system under which asylum seekers can wait up to 10 years for a decision, CNN notes. It would also make it more difficult for immigrants to prove that they are eligible to receive asylum.

Those who do not qualify for asylum will be deported quickly.

“We will no longer have people coming into the country and maybe going to court in the next 7 or 10 years,” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Republican who was part of the negotiations with Democrats, said on Face The Nation. CBS.

“Instead, we will deliver justice quickly. People who qualify for asylum will be on a fast track (six months or less) to start a new life in the United States. And those who do not meet the requirements will be quickly returned to their countries of origin,” Sinema noted.

3.- Closure of the border with Mexico

The agreement will give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the possibility of clamping down on mass border crossings.

Border crossings may be restricted if the daily average of migrants reaches 4,000 in a week.

In addition, the authorities will be empowered to prohibit crossings if they exceed an average of 5,000 per day in a period of seven consecutive days or 8,500 in a single day.

Once the measure is activated, the secretary of the DHS will be able to decide whether to largely ban migrants from seeking asylum if they crossed the border illegally, a source told CNN.

The American press recalled that border encounters exceeded 10,000 on some days in December last year.

In December of last year,

Border officials processed more than 300,000 foreigners, the largest number of migrants ever recorded in a month.

Univision He stressed that this policy is similar to the one used for the first time by the president Donald Trump applying the so-called Title 42with which it quickly expelled immigrants in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.

But if migrants facing expulsion tell immigration officials Border Patrol that there is a credible fear that they could be persecuted if returned to Mexicothey could still be allowed to apply asylum.

4.- Humanitarian parole

Through what is called humanitarian parolepeople who are outside the United States can apply for temporary permission to remain in the country for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

If the agreement is approved, Univisión indicates that limits will be imposed on this humanitarian parole.

5.- Help those who are already in the United States and the states

The agreement allocates $1.4 billion to programs related to shelters, which have been overwhelmed in recent times due to the massive influx of migrants. Besides, The granting of work permits will be accelerated for migrants who are already in the United States waiting for their asylum application to be resolved.

The pact would also authorize sanctions and tools to combat money laundering by criminal organizations that traffic in fentanyl.

Additionally, it will provide 50,000 visas for employment and family immigration each year for the next five years.

6.- What will happen with the agreement?

The leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumerannounced on Sunday that the agreement will be subject to a first vote this Wednesday.

It is not clear if it will have the support to be approved in the Senatewhere they need at least 60 votes for it to be final.

Where it is very difficult to be approved is in the House of Representatives, dominated by the Republican Party. Already on Sunday, its president Michael JohnsonRepublican of Louisiana, said the pact “Was born dead”. He felt that he has not gone far enough to stop undocumented immigration.

“It is even worse than we expected and will not put an end to the border catastrophe” that President Biden “has created,” he said.

Meanwhile, this Monday donald trump he seemed to bury the agreement by calling on Republicans to reject it with their votes.

“Only an idiot, or a radical left-wing Democrat, would vote for this horrible border bill that only gives closure authority after 5,000 interceptions a day when we already have the right to CLOSE THE BORDER NOW, which must be done,” he said trump on your Truth Social network.

“Don’t be STUPID!!! “We need a standalone bill on borders and immigration,” he said. trump in your message.