Posted on 06/18/2018 7:11:44 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz announced emergency legislation Monday evening to keep immigrant families together after they cross the border into the United States.
The legislation follows comments Cruz made on Saturday that essentially called for more resources to adjudicate asylum claims. He also called for keeping immigrant kids with their parents as long as those adults are not associated with criminal activity.
"All Americans are rightly horrified by the images we are seeing on the news, children in tears pulled away from their mothers and fathers," Cruz wrote in a release. "This must stop. Now. We can end this crisis by passing the legislation I am introducing this week."
The provisions of the legislation, according to the news release, include:
* Doubling the number of federal immigration judges, from roughly 375 to 750.
* Authorizing new temporary shelters with accommodations to keep families together.
* Mandating that immigrant families be kept together, absent aggravated criminal conduct or threat of harm to children.
* Providing for expedited processing and review of asylum cases so that — within 14 days — those who meet the legal standards will be granted asylum and those who do not will be immediately returned to their home countries.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Texas' senior senator and the second-ranking Senate Republican, said on the chamber floor earlier Monday that he, too, would introduce legislation on this front.
"It will include provisions that mitigate the problem of family separation while improving the immigration court process for unaccompanied children and families apprehended at the border," he said. "To the greatest extent possible, families presenting at ports of entry or apprehended crossing the border illegally will be kept together while waiting for their court hearings, which will be expedited.”
Cruz and Cornyn are part of a growing number of Republican federal lawmakers who are pushing back against the Trump Administration's recently implemented "zero tolerance" immigration policy, which has so far led to the separation of about 2,000 children from their parents at the border. House Republicans are currently reworking a compromise immigration bill that would modify — but not end — the "zero tolerance" policy, NPR reported Monday.
Cruz's Democratic rival in his fall re-election bid, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso, spent part of the weekend demonstrating near a tent city in Tornillo, outside of El Paso.
They have no interest in undocumented citizens except as political props.
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They are documented citizens of other countries.
Documented breaking into our country.
No! Build the Effing Wall! Don’t play thus stupid game. Americans don’t want illegals coming in and this isn’t going to change anything. Don’t fall into responding to this garbage.
We should never forget Ted is about Ted. He still wants the presidency in 2020. He’ll be the “acceptable” conservative. He’ll have the Ben Shapiros of the world behind him.
And he’ll fail miserably.
There's also NOTHING about THE WALL; which should make it a no starter.
Considering we now have the option of releasing them pending a future hearing they will not show up for or separating the children from the adults and holding them in different facilities for two to six months, the cost of holding the families as a unit for 14 days would be much less expensive. This proposal would also immediately deport them after the asylum decision rather the current procedure of requiring a separate deportation hearing following the asylum hearing.
As for the wall, this proposal does not do anything for or against that necessary structure. It simply addresses an acute problem in a manner that would turn the 2000 mile trip from South America into a maximum two week stay in a detention center followed by a recorded deportation and quick trip back home. With this record of deportation, reentry becomes a felony rather than the misdemeanor for the first offense.
Ted is always all about Ted and only Ted.
Beto has the cute factor, Dem or not.
The last I heard, it is not as easy as buying a kit in a drugstore. The real definitive test that they use in law courts is expensive.
12,000 kids, of which 10,000 have nothing to prove they are related to the parents.
Also I wonder if there are legal restraints on such an invasion of privacy if they don’t want the test.
This is why Trump has been saying wall wall wall. No reason for them to get in here and cause us these problems. It is swarm warfare.
I agree it will not happen because the democrats think the problem gives them an advantage over the President. Despite that unfortunate fact, it is a pretty good effort to call their bluff.
It's a truly STUPID and EXPENSIVE idea, which won't solve anything; it just appeals you naive people.
Many, if not the vast majority of supposed "families" are no such thing!
And in a rush to get judges, wanna bet how many WILL be lefties who just clear EVERYONE FOR AMNESTY/ASYLUM!
This BS idea from Cruz stinks on ice and is NOT the answer!
Just when I was coming around on Ted.
FWIIW,here is my solution:
Once across the border and captured, ALL (men, women, children, families, etc. etc.) illegal border crossers should be identified, photographed, fingerprinted, submit a DNA sample, have that information entered into a secure data base and then IMMEDIATELY escorted back to the border and sent on their way!
Furthermore, ICE should follow the same procedure for ALL illegal aliens captured in the USA!
DEPORT EVERY DAMN ONE OF THEM!
“Repel at the border. Problem solved.”
Exactly, they AREN’T our responsibility!
Stop this crap at the border NOW!
We canNOT be the dumping ground for the world’s failed countries.
Asylum seekers are supposed to stay in the FIRST COUNTRY they land in, which isn't the USA!
And what about those unaccompanied who claim to be kids, but who are 25-30 or older?
What about the supposed parents, who know less than NOTHING at all about the kids they have in tow?
I'm with you...BUILD THE WALL and even take it a step farther...seed the banks of rivers with bobby traps and bear traps!
Wow!!! Seems like you have this situation in full control. Just ignore me and carry on with your good work. I apologize for trying to inject logic into an ad hominim argument.
The entire process should not take more than 48 hours, start to finish!
lol- you are forgiven- can’t disrupt the ad hominims and vitriol-
There is absolutely NO “logic to Criz’s proposal, nor your approval of something this stupid, unworkable, and meaningless!
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