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.
I'm having trouble understanding how people savy enough to get elected multiple times are so misreading the American people when it comes to this issue.
The citizens don't want these people and we are sick and tired of all the time and resources dedicated to these people invading our country
How long do you imagine that it would take to find judges, vet them, build housing, places to deal with these illegal invaders, and REALLY investigate them?
Have you even contemplated what all of that would cost?
And since when, since Ellis Island and other such places ( which often did NOT get it all completed in 48 hours! ) were closed, has it ever gone that quickly?
Will these illegal invaders go through thorough medical and mental examinations? There's NOTHING at all about that in Cruz's plan!
What about looking into criminal pasts?
And testing to see IF the children are REALLY biological members of the adult's family?
Where is the examination of whether or not any of them have been deported and/or committed any other cries, when they were here?
Cruz is facing re-election in Texas and trying to get out in front of this issue before he get beaten over the head with it by his opponent.
This is a smart play by Cruz and the fact that his proposal is in fact ‘unworkable’ is not of any particular concern.
All this idiocy does, is make people/voters remember that he and his insane BFF Glenn Beck went down to the border and handed out teddy bears to the damned ILLEGAL INVADERS!
This won't help him one bit, with the ILLEGALS, it won't help him with those who voted for Trump, and it, once again, makes him look like the RINO he is!
Maybe Glenn Beck would like to join Cruz for Teddy Bear II.
Plan passed by Democrats under Obama as I understand it.
Now the media is blaming Trump for enforcing the law, as Obama did.
Trump stands up to the media, and now it seems (politically) Dead Cruz is siding with the media.
Yep, Dead is as Conservative as they come, the major networks that is.
All those folks who refused to see Dead for who he has been, take a real good look for the first time.
Bingo!
And now Ted shows his true colors
Yup. The dems are in favor of child trafficking
Some Texans may still vote for him; however, he has been his own worst enemy and some GOP Texans aren't going to be all that predisposed to vote for him, just because he is running as a GOPer.
“So essentially we will be building Internment Camps to house everyone together. Real smart... it is not really an internment camp. It is a TEMPORARY SHELTER.
I propose an open air detainment facility for families that can accommodate a nearly unlimited supply of asylum seekers. Just build two walls, 13000 miles long and 30 feet high. Families can remain together between the walls until they are properly processed.
Easy peasy.
Also, just when the Dems, coaxed by the media, were about to try to pass legislation that essentially would make lawbreaking legal, and seal their well-deserved fate for November, Carnival Cruz steps in to introduce the legislation so they don’t have to.
Trump had the game under control and in comes the spoiler.
Don’t ever make that mistake.
“All Americans are rightly horrified”
no ted, I’m not horrified. Do not take it upon yourself to speak for me.
I have a better idea. Keep “immigrant” families together by stopping them from crossing the border.
Or, just don’t let them into the country to begin with.
“All Americans are rightly horrified ... by the invasion hordes flooding our southern border.”
Careful now. Ted may have to pack his bags and head off to Canada.
Seek help. CDS is a curable disease.
Says the Cruzer!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.