Americans witness Democrats playing out a death wish for midterm elections: More Democrats oppose weakening legal protections of kids crossing the border
From The Washington Post:
The influx of migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border has slowed in recent weeks, administration officials told lawmakers Wednesday.
The ebb of migrations into the country came as a growing number of congressional Democrats are opposed to weakening legal protections for young children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border from Central America, making it less likely that Congress can agree on a deal to address the crisis before lawmakers leave Washington for a five-week summer recess.
The issue is a flash point in the debate over how to stem a tide of tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors coming into the United States, primarily from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. A 2008 law grants extra protections to youths from those countries compared with Mexico or Canada, making it more difficult to deport them quickly.
As the Obama administration seeks to win passage of $3.7 billion in emergency funding to handle the influx, Republicans and some Democrats have said they cannot support authorizing more money to deal with the crisis unless it is coupled with changes in current policy to speed up deportations.
But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — a key bloc on immigration issues — came together Wednesday to oppose the idea. The growing opposition among Democrats will make it more difficult for the GOP-led House and the Democratic-run Senate to reach an accord before Congress leaves Aug. 1 for its annual summer break.
At least 57,000 children have crossed illegally into the country this year, according to government statistics, a figure that far exceeds totals from recent years. During a closed-door meeting for senators Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and other officials said that apprehensions of illegal border crossers has dropped over the past three weeks to an average of 700 per day, down from 1,600.
Officials also said that caring for young migrants still in the custody of federal agencies is costing an average of $200 per child per day, according to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
The influx of migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border has slowed in recent weeks, administration officials told lawmakers Wednesday.
The ebb of migrations into the country came as a growing number of congressional Democrats are opposed to weakening legal protections for young children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border from Central America, making it less likely that Congress can agree on a deal to address the crisis before lawmakers leave Washington for a five-week summer recess.
The issue is a flash point in the debate over how to stem a tide of tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors coming into the United States, primarily from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. A 2008 law grants extra protections to youths from those countries compared with Mexico or Canada, making it more difficult to deport them quickly.
As the Obama administration seeks to win passage of $3.7 billion in emergency funding to handle the influx, Republicans and some Democrats have said they cannot support authorizing more money to deal with the crisis unless it is coupled with changes in current policy to speed up deportations.
But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — a key bloc on immigration issues — came together Wednesday to oppose the idea. The growing opposition among Democrats will make it more difficult for the GOP-led House and the Democratic-run Senate to reach an accord before Congress leaves Aug. 1 for its annual summer break.
At least 57,000 children have crossed illegally into the country this year, according to government statistics, a figure that far exceeds totals from recent years. During a closed-door meeting for senators Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and other officials said that apprehensions of illegal border crossers has dropped over the past three weeks to an average of 700 per day, down from 1,600.
Officials also said that caring for young migrants still in the custody of federal agencies is costing an average of $200 per child per day, according to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
posted by Sid Cottingham | 7:53 AM
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