When we previously discussed the President’s decision to put the planned deportation raids in as many as a dozen cities on hold, I suggested that Speaker Pelosi might have put an offer on the table that caught Trump’s attention, prompting the delay. His statement about giving Congress “a couple of weeks” to hammer out a deal seemed to provide further indication that this was what happened. Now we’re getting some of the details of the “offer” Nancy Pelosi is putting forward and as far as I can tell, ICE should probably gas up the trucks and get ready to head out because it stinks on ice. (Pardon the pun.)
Our colleague Beth Baumann at Town Hall has most of the details in the plan. They are almost entirely based on help for the immigrants at the border (much of which would be fine if they want to spend the money) and virtually nothing that the President or conservatives want out of a border bill.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Sunday said the House of Representatives will advance a border bill brought about by the House Appropriations Committee. The announcement comes after President Donald Trump’s last minute decision to cancel a deportation raid that was scheduled for Sunday in 10 cities. Trump said he would give Congress two weeks to pass a border bill before the raid is reinstated.
According to Pelosi, the House will provide humanitarian aid that’s needed to keep families together.
“The President’s failed policies have exacerbated the situation at the border, where vulnerable children endure inhumane conditions that threaten their health, well-being and sometimes, tragically, their lives. This legislation provides urgently-needed humanitarian assistance for families, including funding for food, shelter, clothing, medical care and legal assistance, and will relieve the horrific situation of over-crowding and help prevent additional deaths,” Pelosi said in a statement.
You can go down the list, but all of the spending items are related to meeting the needs of the illegal aliens already in the country, with no provisions for slowing the flow of additional illegals crossing the border or speeding up the rate that we are able to process them.
There’s 934.5 million for processing facilities, food, water, sanitary items, blankets, etc. $866 million would go to “reduce reliance on influx shelters to house children.” Another $200 million is allocated to develop an “integrated, multi-agency processing center pilot program for families.” You’re probably getting the idea.
There’s another serious poison pill in the package as well. One provision would, “require the federal government to prospectively notify illegal immigrants that if they bring an unaccompanied child into the country and sponsor them, their illegal status would in no way be used against them, a source said, and that the child will be delivered to them without any reservation.”
Are you kidding me? So not only are we not fixing the loophole that’s allowing illegal aliens to grab a kid and use them as a passport to get into the country, but we’re going to advertise the loophole to all the migrants and codify it in law?
This is a joke and a bad one at that. Unless the Democrats want to include some money for new immigration judges, more CBP officers, and some wall construction, the GOP should tell them to take this bill and go pound sand.