Key Senate Republicans, many of whom have supported amnesties in the past, are rejecting President Joe Biden’s plan to give amnesty to about 11 to 22 million illegal aliens living in the United States that also includes increases to legal immigration.
Biden, who released his amnesty plan this week, wants to provide approximately all illegal aliens a fast-track pathway to green cards and, eventually, U.S. citizenship as 18 million Americans remain jobless and another 6.2 million are underemployed.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a former member of the infamous “Gang of Eight,” which sought an amnesty for illegal aliens in 2013, shot down Biden’s amnesty saying congress must aid Americans and the growing threat of China before prioritizing foreign nationals.
“Before we deal with immigration we need to deal with COVID, make sure everyone has the chance to find a good job, and confront the threat from China,” Rubio said in a statement:
America should always welcome immigrants who want to become Americans. But we need laws that decide who and how many people can come here, and those laws must be followed and enforced. There are many issues I think we can work cooperatively with President-elect Biden, but a blanket amnesty for people who are here unlawfully isn’t going to be one of them.
Likewise, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — who has repeatedly backed amnesty for illegal aliens, including as a member of the “Gang of Eight” in 2013 — suggested the Biden amnesty has little chance of passing the Senate.
“I think probably the space in a 50-50 Senate would be some kind of DACA deal,” Graham said, according to NBC News. “Comprehensive immigration is going to be a tough sell given this environment, but doing DACA, I think, is possible.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) has warned Senate and House Republicans against supporting the Biden amnesty, even if Democrats and the administration claim it includes enforcement measures.
Most significantly, perhaps, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the announcement of Biden’s amnesty plan “a rough ‘day one’ for American workers.”
“The failed Paris deal will hurt American families while China and Russia grow emissions … and a proposal to gut immigration enforcement and give blanket amnesty? Rough ‘day one’ for American workers,” McConnell said.
Biden’s amnesty plan will include a litany of giveaways to big business, the open borders lobby, and Democrats who are looking to secure their permanent political majority by importing voters. The plan includes:
- Amnesty with a fast-track to American citizenship
- Immediate green cards for DACA illegal aliens and TPS beneficiaries
- A 700 percent increase in the refugee resettlement program
- Reinstatement of the Central American Minors (CAM) program
- Work permits for the family members of H-1B and H-2B visa holders
- Additional employment-based and chain migration visas
- Fast-track to the U.S. for Central American family members of citizens
- An expansion of the Diversity Visa Lottery program
Every year more than 1.2 million legal immigrants are awarded green cards and another 1.4 million foreign nationals are given visas. In addition, hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens are added to the U.S. population annually.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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