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Merced County Times: Duarte crafts bill for immigration reform, border security
Washington,
October 24, 2024
Tags:
Immigration
Congressman John Duarte is poised to announce his new “Border Security and Immigration Reform Act” — legislation that includes proposed solutions for a permanent DACA and Amnesty program fix while strengthening the southern border. Duarte, who represents the 13th District that includes Merced County, says he is eager to discuss how his bill can work across party lines “to solve the border and immigration crisis once and for all.” He is planning to hold a press conference on Monday, Oct. 28, in Livingston with the support of several Central Valley mayors who represent cities with strong Hispanic populations. His new bill will also mark the start of what he is calling the “1,000 Mayor Campaign,” in which he hopes to get the heads of towns across America, along with city council members, county supervisors and sheriffs, to sign onto his immigration policy effort. “If you want to do comprehensive immigration reform in America, we all know that there are certain big pieces that have to go in the box,” he told the Times during an interview on Tuesday. “One of those pieces is border security. Another one is a fix for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Another piece is safe and verifiable elections. That’s demanded on the right. And another one is amnesty. Yes, amnesty is the word for families living here, working, and obeying the law. And we have to get them out of the shadows. They are married to citizens. They are raising children. They are an important part of our workforce, and our communities, and we need to get them out of the shadows and into permanent residence here in America. Some of these families have been here for 20 years or more.” Duarte clarified that his new bill does not address individuals who have entered the United States during what he calls the “open borders” period of the past four years. “I’m talking about long-term DACA kids, and long-term hardworking families who have been hiding in the shadows. … We have young people here in California who are DACA eligible and they have gone through college and have student loans to pay off and they can’t get the best job possible because of their immigration status. They are integrated in their communities, and know no other home, and we still haven’t normalized their status. It’s ridiculous.” Duarte pointed out that previous, so-called bipartisan bills on immigration and border security were so over-negotiated that real reform has been stifled. “This bill says ‘We are going to take the DACA. We are going to take the amnesty program, those who are eligible, and we are going to give them provisional visas. We are going to get them out of the shadows for five years, and suspend any action against them. Within that five years, if the southern border wall is fixed where we have the original building plan of the border wall structure in place as designed, and we are detaining and effectively processing at least 80 percent of those crossing the border, then those provisional visas will become green cards. “What happened in ’86 was that we would have an amnesty program, and then border security would come next. With this one we are saying we are going to have an amnesty program, we are going to have a DACA program, but they are both provisional until we secure the border. If we don’t secure the border, those provisional visas will expire. And that would be a very sad thing. A very unfortunate thing. But we have got to assure Americans that the border is going to get secured. And every one of these issues polls strongly. This is a very nonpartisan border bill. Americans want and understand the need for amnesty. Americans want and understand the need for a DACA fix. Americans want and understand the need for a border security fix. “The problem is, if you are in a safe Democrat seat, you know, it’s not OK to say ‘Yeah we need to secure the border.’ If you are in a safe Republican seat, you are oftentimes completely allergic to the concept of amnesty. And so I’m stepping into the middle of it, saying, “This is where it ends. Let’s get the deal done.” Congressman Duarte says he sincerely hopes his efforts will draw the attention of both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during this heated campaign season. “My hope is that one of the major candidates jumps on it and says ‘Yes, that’s what we have to do.’ … or at least commit to the framework of it in order to make the deal. Right now the presidential race is so close, and Hispanic votes are really powerful this time around. Either one of the candidates could advantage themselves greatly by saying ‘Yes, that’s where it ends. That’s where we need to get to.’ The Republican lawmaker added, “I’m not going to do a one-sided border bill that’s going to end up in endless negotiation. What’s unique about this bill is that it’s got the innovation of the provisional visa that forces whoever is in the presidency to get the border wall done, or I feel sorry for them when they run for reelection. So if Kamala wins and she doesn’t build the wall, she has to run for reelection with all these provisional visas about to expire … Nobody wants that. … With Donald Trump, I don’t think anybody in America is vague about his intentions to finish securing the border.” With regard to the 1,000 Mayors Campaign, Duarte said he hopes to circumvent Congress and go straight to local electeds across America and have them push their own congress members to get on board. “We need to show the members of Congress that they need to work across the aisle and get this deal done,” Duarte said. Press Conference Details:
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