House passes immigration bills, establishes path to citizenship for millions
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Thursday passed two bills that would establish paths to citizenship or legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants, including those who were brought to the country unlawfully as children and workers in the agriculture sector.
The bills are narrower than the comprehensive immigration package introduced in February by the Biden administration. Despite this, they face an uphill path to passage in the Senate, where 10 Republicans would be required to vote with every Democrat to approve them.
A key priority for the Biden administration, a bipartisan deal on immigration has been complicated by recent events. Republicans have seized on a surge in unaccompanied minors who have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border to press for harsher immigration enforcement.
The Customs and Border Protection has about 4,500 children in the custody, the majority of which are located at a facility in Donna, Texas, an administration official said in a statement on Thursday. More unaccompanied children are being allowed into the U.S under Biden, in comparison to his predecessor Trump, whose administration quickly expelled minors seeking entry into the country.
In a televised interview on ABC on Tuesday, Biden said: “I can say quite clearly: Don’t come,” adding that “we’re in the process of getting set up, don’t leave your town or city or community.”