Democrats Urge President Biden to Protect Legally Present Migrants

Democrats are rallying across the nation to oppose President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policies. Through grassroots mobilization, legal challenges, and legislative actions, they aim to safeguard immigrant communities.

On Tuesday morning, seven prominent Democratic senators sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to take immediate action to protect current legal migrants. The letter was seen by Newsweek.

Trump’s immigration agenda includes the largest deportation program in U.S. history, ending the CBP One app, dismantling the catch-and-release policy, and reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” program. He has also pledged to target individuals who entered the U.S. under protections for migrants from specific countries.

Democratic lawmakers are particularly concerned about Trump’s plan to force over a million people, who arrived under Humanitarian Parole or Temporary Protected Status (TPS), to leave the U.S. These groups are crucial to industries like agriculture, healthcare, and construction.

Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto spoke with Newsweek about her proposals for extending protections to those in the U.S. under TPS. She emphasized the dire conditions in the countries eligible for TPS, arguing the Biden administration should act now to offer protections before Trump’s hardline policies take effect.

Currently, 16 countries, including Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Syria, are designated for TPS. However, the Biden administration allowed TPS for Venezuelans to expire in October, after two years.

Senator Masto, along with Senators Dick Durbin (Illinois), Tammy Duckworth (Illinois), Cory Booker (New Jersey), Ben Ray Luján (New Mexico), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), and Alex Padilla (California), stressed the urgency of protecting immigrants before Trump's inauguration. The letter to Biden urged swift action: "We write now because the window to secure and finalize your administration’s policies is closing rapidly," it stated.

Padilla issued a harsh critique, warning that mass deportations would devastate communities and harm the U.S. economy, leading to higher costs for goods and services. “Mass deportations will lead to a less prosperous America for all,” he warned.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis also voiced concern, predicting that mass deportations could trigger a major recession. His spokesperson, Ally Sullivan, emphasized the economic toll such policies would have on industries like agriculture and construction.

Republican lawmakers, however, are gearing up to implement Trump’s policies, including the "Remain in Mexico" program, to curb cartel violence and human trafficking. Texas Senator Ted Cruz stated that mass deportations would reduce cartel revenue.

Despite concerns from Democrats and economists, Trump has remained firm on his immigration plans. In a recent interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, he suggested that mixed-status families could be deported and that birthright citizenship could end through executive action, although he acknowledged it might be difficult to achieve.

Republican lawmakers like Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama argued that Trump’s policies are popular with most Americans and would lead to safer communities and stronger local economies. He predicted that blue states would follow red states in adopting these policies.

Senator Chip Roy of Texas emphasized that Republicans must act to secure the border and deport individuals unlawfully released into the U.S.

Senator Masto countered that Trump was using immigration for political gain, but stressed that Congress must work together to fix the broken immigration system. “We can strengthen our border, but we can also fix a broken immigration system, and it requires my colleagues to have the courage to come forward and do just that,” she said.