As part of a congressional plan to deal with the current migrant problem, a group led by former Vice President Mike Pence is asking for a declaration of an invasion at the southern border.
Monday, the 2024 presidential candidate’s group, Advancing American Freedom, put out its plan to protect the border and stop illegal immigration.
It asks for laws that declare an “invasion” in response to the crisis that has seen a record number of refugees cross the southern border since 2021.
“The Constitution of the United States says that the central government is responsible for protecting the states from attack. “As long as the Biden administration won’t do this job, Congress should officially declare an invasion so that states can legally protect their borders,” the plan says.
In Republican groups, the word “invasion” has been used more and more to describe the problem in the last few years. The word “invasion” has been used by both former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in their bids for the White House. DeSantis promised to “stop the invasion” as part of his plan for the border.
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In the meantime, Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has used the “invasion” word to say that undocumented people can be sent back to the border with Mexico. This happens after more than 1.7 million and 2.4 million migrants were seen at the southern border in FY 2021 and FY 2022, respectively.
Democrats have criticized the use of the term, saying that it is dangerous and promotes feelings against immigrants.
Last week, Jerry Nadler, the top member of the House Judiciary Committee, said at a meeting, “The invasion story that some members are pushing in this hearing room is racist, not based on facts, and dangerous.”
In the policy ideas put forward by Pence’s group, Congress is also asked to look into the possibility of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. This is something that several House members have already asked for.
In response to these requests, DHS has asked Congress to pass laws to fix the “broken” immigration system and give the Biden administration the money it wants.
Separately, the AAF plan calls for an end to “chain migration,” which lets foreigners sponsor families for green cards into the U.S., and changes to temporary visa programs like the controversial H-1B visa program. Critics say that these visas are used by companies to hire cheaper foreign workers to replace American workers.
It also backs laws that have already been brought up in Congress, like the GOP House’s package on border security that was passed earlier this year. Kate’s Law and other bills to end the visa lottery, let victims of crimes committed by undocumented people fight sanctuary towns, bring back the Migrant Protection Protocols, and keep building the border wall at the state level are also backed.
“Congress needs to hold President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas, and the Department of Homeland Security responsible for their dangerous mistakes at the border,” AAF Executive Director Paul Teller said in a statement. “They also need to pass laws that give our border agents the resources and restored powers they need to do their jobs and enforce the law.” “Advancing American Freedom thinks that a country without a secure border and the rule of law isn’t a country at all, and they will keep asking Congress and the administration to do something to keep our country safe.”
The policy rollout, which will be followed this week by a visit by AAF staff, is the latest sign that the border crisis is likely to remain a top political and 2024 issue, even though the Biden administration has pointed out that the number of people at the border has gone down since Title 42 ended in May.
Republicans have said that the crisis was caused by the Biden administration, and candidates for president in 2024 are rallying behind calls to bring back policies that were put in place when Pence was vice president. As part of its plan for what to do after Title 42, the Biden government has said that it will increase legal immigration while punishing undocumented people.
But the recent torpedoing of its protection rule by a left-wing lawsuit has made people worry that a new wave of refugees could be on the way soon.
