FIRST ON FOX: A bill to strictly limit programs used by the Biden administration to allow migrants into the U.S. and protect them from deportation is being re-introduced in both chambers of Congress amid a flurry of immigration moves in Congress and the White House.
The End Unaccountable Amnesty Act, was introduced in the Senate last year but is now being re-introduced in both chambers by Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, which would limit the use of humanitarian parole to allow migrants into the U.S. and limit the use of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to protect them from deportation.
The Biden administration, as part of its efforts to expand lawful pathways for migration to curb the ongoing migrant crisis at the border, used parole to admit 1,450 migrants a day using the CBP One app at the border. It has also allowed more than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) to fly into the U.S. using a separate program. Combined, nearly 1.5 million migrants were let in via CBP One and CHNV. President Trump ordered an end to both this week.
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Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind. (Rep. Jim Banks campaign/File)
Separately, the Biden administration has used (TPS) to allow migrants from countries facing conflict and hardship to remain protected from deportation, including countries like Venezuela and Haiti. It extended a slew of designations in the final days of the administration.
The bill would restrict TPS designations by requiring Congress to approve them for 12-month terms (currently 18 months) and requiring additional moves by Congress to extend them.
The bill would also limit parole to a hard cap of 1,000 a year, significantly reduced from the hundreds of thousands allowed currently. Parole would also only be allowed for limited circumstances like emergency medical cases.
The bill would also impose stricter eligibility and placement criteria for unaccompanied children amid reports of such children being lost track of by authorities. Meanwhile, the use of DHS documents like Notices to Appear and also the now-limited CBP One app would be barred from being used for airport security checks.
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Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas (Nathan Howard/Getty Images/File)
“The Biden administration exploited current law to grant legal status to millions of non-citizens, overwhelming communities in Indiana and across the country. Our schools, healthcare systems, and public services are struggling with this massive influx,” Banks said in a statement. “This bill will end mass parole, eliminate incentives for illegal immigration, and help President Trump restore order after the chaos caused by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s policies incentivized the worst border crisis in American history,” Nehls wrote. “Worse, President Biden and his cronies imported people from all over the world through the CHNV and other mass parole programs, flooding our communities with insufficiently vetted individuals. I’m proud to introduce legislation alongside Senator Banks to prevent future administrations from abusing TPS designations and parole authority.”
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When it was first introduced, the bill faced challenges with a Democrat-run Senate, but now the chamber is in the hands of Republicans, and a number of Democrats have backed restrictionist bills after a year in which illegal immigration was a top priority for voters.
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Dozens of Democrats recently backed the Laken Riley Act to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain illegal immigrants charged with theft-related crimes. Meanwhile, a bill to restore the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy has picked up bipartisan sponsors in the lower chamber.
