Parsing Immigration Policy

Two immigration bills are making their way through the House of Representatives, both of which address the Biden border crisis and seek to stem the tide of illegal migration at our Southwest border. To discuss the bills and the potential impact on the border crisis, we are joined on Parsing Immigration Policy by two experts with over thirty years of experience in immigration policy on Capitol Hill.George Fishman, the Center for Immigration Studies’ Senior Legal Fellow, examines the details of the “Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023” (H.R. 2640), introduced by U.S. Representatives Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) in the House Judiciary Committee. Fishman explains how the bill provides necessary enforcement tools, while the language forces DHS to use them, rather than relying on the administration’s good faith. It ends the abuse of the parole power, and creates a Title 42-like authority that does not require a public health emergency. H.R. 2640 also strengthens the present detention mandate for those crossing the border illegally by requiring those migrants be returned to Mexico, if detention is not possible. Finally, the bill makes E-Verify mandatory for all employers.Andrew Arthur, the Center’s Resident Fellow in Law and Policy, discusses the “Border Reinforcement Act of 2023” (H.R. 2794), introduced by U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Arthur explains that the bill would, among other things, require the Biden administration to complete the Southwest border fencing system, which includes cameras, lights, all-weather roads, and the installation of fiber optic cable along the border line. It also authorizes the Border Patrol to increase staffing at the Southwest border by 5,000 agents, added to the current 17,000; the Biden administration recently put forth a proposal increasing the number of agents by fewer than 350.The bills will likely be joined and sent to the House floor in May after Title 42 is lifted. Passage of the package in the House will be challenging, given the narrow Republican majority, but depending on what the border looks like post-Title 42, it is possible some Democrats in the House and Senate could support the legislative package.In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian, host of the podcast and the Center’s Executive Director, highlights the out-of-touch views many lawmakers – on both sides of the political aisle – have toward immigrants workers, viewing them primarily as a source of low-cost domestic help.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestsGeorge Fishman served for two decades as the Republican Chief Counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee with jurisdiction over immigration.Andrew Arthur served as a Counsel on the House Judiciary Committee, where he performed oversight of immigration issues.RelatedBorder Security and Enforcement Act of 2023Border Reinforcement Act of 2023Parole with BenefitsMayorkas and McCarthy Battle Over ‘Operational Control’ of the Southwest BorderFollowFollow Parsing Immigration Policy on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts.Intro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

Few people can fully understand the situation at the border like a Border Patrol agent. Throughout his long career, Tony Porvaznik has witnessed the fluctuations in the level and impact of illegal immigration at the border. He joins us for this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy.Porvaznik began his career in the San Diego sector, which has historically seen the most illegal immigration, particularly when he became an agent in the 1980s. Illegal immigration had a serious impact on the environment, and conservation groups were concerned about threats to the local wildlife population. An increase in the number of agents and the construction of a fence was successful in stemming the tide of migration.While Porvaznik has experience working as an agent in many different border sectors, he retired as Chief Patrol Agent in the Yuma, Ariz., which is now experiencing a surge in illegal immigration. He explains how cartels have gained a significant amount of influence over the border there, and the money gained from trafficking drugs and smuggling migrants across the border helps them fund their criminal enterprises and gain even more influence.What can the federal government do to secure the border? Porvaznik’s solution is fairly simple – enforce the existing laws.In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian, the Center’s executive director and host of the podcast, draws attention to a border security bill that was advanced by the House Judiciary Committee. The “Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023” would limit the executive branch’s ability to abuse parole powers and also includes an E-Verify mandate, which would eliminate the job magnet that motivate migrants to enter the country illegally.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestTony Porvaznik is a retired Chief Patrol Agent for the Border Patrol.RelatedBiden’s Released at Least 2,020,522 Southwest Border MigrantsIntro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

On this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, Mark Krikorian, host of the podcast and the Center’s executive director, is joined by Theo Wold, who worked on immigration in the Trump White House.Currently Idaho’s solicitor general, Wold’s formal title in the Trump administration was Deputy Assistant to the President for Policy in the Office of American Innovation. He shares his experiences and lessons learned from his time at the White House, and explains the Trump administration’s inability to make more immigration policy changes.Although Immigration was central to the Trump 2016 campaign, Wold says the administration was ill-prepared to actually implement proposed changes. According to Wold, the primary obstacle to making substantial changes to immigration policy was deep-rooted bureaucracy in the Department of Homeland Security. The sheer number of issues that fall under DHS’s purview, particularly those that have nothing to do with immigration, drew attention and resources away from immigration issues, and the parts of DHS that actually do deal with immigration are organized in a way that does not lend itself to policy change. Wold and Krikorian disagreed as to the advisability at this point of pulling the immigration bureaus out of DHS and creating a new cabinet-level Department of Immigration.In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian highlights a recent Center report examining the differing impacts of different immigration policies on Medicare and Social Security.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestTheo Wold is currently Idaho’s Solicitor General and former Deputy Assistant to the President for Policy in the Office of American Innovation.RelatedThe Impact of Immigration on Social Security and MedicareFollowFollow Parsing Immigration Policy on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts.Intro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

SummaryIllegal immigration discussions typically focus on the southern border of the United States, with little focus on the northern border with Canada. But even the northern border is experiencing a surge in illegal crossings, including increasing numbers of illegal immigrants from further abroad than in the past. While CBP’s northern border migrant encounter numbers have not hit the record levels seen at the southern border, illegal immigration there is a growing problem and a national-security concern.On this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, two experts from the Center join us to discuss this spike and its larger implications: Andrew Arthur, the Center’s resident fellow in law and policy, who recently testified before Congress on the surge at the Northern border, and Todd Bensman, the Center’s senior national security fellow, who has written at length on how Canada’s immigration policies are encouraging illegal immigration into the United States.In 2016, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waived the visa requirement for Mexicans entering Canada, which has contributed to the increase in Mexican illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Canada border. The number of Border Patrol agents at the Canadian border is just a fraction of those assigned at the southern border, and DHS has pulled hundreds of agents from the northern border to respond to the ongoing crisis on the U.S.-Mexico line. Not surprisingly, would-be illegal entrants with the means have increasingly learned that it is much easier to enter through Canada.In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian, host of the podcast and the Center’s executive, shares his experiences from the Center’s recent border tour. The group travelled between San Diego and Yuma, Ariz. – areas that are experiencing unprecedented levels of illegal traffic.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestPaul Eberle is a former Border Patrol Agent.RelatedTestimony: Biden’s Growing Border Crisis: Death, Drugs, and Disorder on the Northern BorderThe Canadian Policy Behind the Surge of Illegals – and Mexican Cartel Operatives – at the Northern BorderThe Brewing Disaster at the Northern Border, and Why It MattersFollowFollow Parsing Immigration Policy on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts.Intro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

SummaryWhat do Border Patrol agents do in the field? This week’s guest on Parsing Immigration Policy, Paul Eberle, explains just that. Eberle is a former Border Patrol agent and author of Look at the Dirt: The Story of Border Patrol Agents Through Their Own Eyes. His book includes accounts of agents – including himself – from several stations along the southwest border, from the early 1990s to the fall of 2021, when Eberle retired.Eberle explains his path to becoming an agent, shares stories from his and other Border Patrol agents’ experiences, and provides potential improvements for border enforcement today. Among his suggestions for ways to improve the situation at the border is his opinion that border walls and fences do indeed work. He explains that in addition to deterring illegal crossings altogether, they only allow migrants to cross at points between the barriers, where agents can focus their efforts and more easily apprehend migrants.In his closing commentary, Mark Krikorian, host of Parsing Immigration Policy and the Center’s executive director, brings attention to Cesar Chavez’s upcoming birthday this Friday, March 31, which is increasingly being celebrated as National Border Control Day. The holiday recognizes Chavez’s commitment to border enforcement. As a labor leader, he understood that easy access to cheap labor from Mexico undermined his efforts to improve wages and working conditions for American agricultural workers.HostMark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.GuestPaul Eberle is a former Border Patrol Agent.RelatedBook: Look at the Dirt: The Story of Border Patrol Agents Through Their Own EyesCesar Chavez Belonged to a Vanishing Breed: The Pro-Borders LeftFollowFollow Parsing Immigration Policy on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts.Intro MontageVoices in the opening montage:Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".

Historically high levels of illegal immigration continue to contribute to every state being a border state, every town being a border town. But the phrase doesn’t do justice to the impact that real border communities experience. On this week’s episode of Parsing Immigration Policy, Susan Kibbe, executive director of the South Texan’s Property Rights Association, describes life as a rancher in... Source

The Center for Immigration Studies unveiled a new database of national security vetting failures at a recent panel discussion. This database is the first known collection of preventable federal government vetting failures that enabled the entry of foreign nationals who threatened and harmed American national interests and public safety. The information collected in the database offers an... Source

Federal law requires that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detain illegal border-crossers pending the completion of their cases. Despite this detention mandate, the Biden administration has been releasing hundreds of thousands of aliens on “Alternatives to Detention” (ATD), where they are monitored via ankle bracelets, GPS tracking, or the SmartLINK app. ATD effectiveness is poor... Source

A proposed new asylum regulation advertised as deterring illegal immigration at the southern border is unlikely to have the intended result. Under the new rule, some aliens who have not applied for protection in a country they passed through en route to the United States may be ineligible for asylum under some circumstances. Immigration activists have decried the rule as a return to Trump-era... Source

The Center for Immigration Studies hosted a panel discussion on February 21 featuring three reporters who have covered the border crisis from the frontlines. Their on-the-ground field reporting in Central America, Mexico, and along the U.S.-Mexico border – far from Washington, D.C. – reflects the stories and actions of the primary sources: the migrants, law enforcement, and the residents impacted... Source