Last week, House Democrats brought up H.R. 6, which would provide a green card and special path to citizenship to millions currently in the United States illegally.
This bill would allow anyone who entered the United States before the age of 18 and was present in the country for at least four years continuously to be eligible for permanent legal status and a path to citizenship. The bill is written so broadly that an individual not currently living in the U.S. must be granted a special green card if they meet the threshold requirements, jumping in line ahead of those who have done the right thing and are waiting for legal admission.
The bill would also not prevent many gang members or individuals with criminal records from getting access to these special green cards. In fact, in many cases it mandates they must be given green cards if they meet the age and continuous presence requirements. It also allows those who have committed immigration fraud to receive these green cards. This is a slap in the face to lawful immigrants who have played by the rules.
This bill is not a serious attempt to tackle our illegal immigration problem.
The bill does nothing to address the crisis at our southern border or to improve border security, which is badly needed to stem the flow of illegal immigration that puts children at grave risk on the dangerous journey from Central America. It prohibits the use of gang databases to establish gang participation as part of the green card application review process. It further incentivizes bad behavior and thus will worsen our border crisis.
Data and news reports clearly show that individuals are exploiting loopholes and lack of enforcement in our immigration system. A recent Washington Post article reported that, “In rural Guatemala, there is a widespread belief that bringing a child on the journey to the United States will make it easier to avoid detention and deportation.” The article further quoted an individual in Guatemala saying, “That’s the thing everyone knows now. If you go, you need to bring a child.” In May, a 51-year-old Honduran national who had already been deported once brought an unrelated 6-month-old with him to help ensure he would be quickly released in America.
Our immigration laws are broken, but a patchwork fix that abuses border security, incentivizes illegal behavior and unfairly penalizes those who have followed the rules and respected the laws of our country is not the answer. I support reforming our current immigration system to one that is merit-based, thus securing America’s economic interests while still demonstrating the compassion this nation has exuded for centuries. Sadly, once again Democrats have chosen to play politics over working with Republicans as both parties embrace our duty to sensibly reform our immigration laws and welcome those who seek to breathe America’s promise of freedom and liberty.
Congressman Daniel Webster represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives.
