FAIR Report Chronicles Democratic Wall of Opposition to Immigration Reform During Trump Era

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Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

Sep 29, 2020, 12:05 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Donald Trump bucked the Washington establishment and made immigration reform and enforcement central issues in his campaign for the presidency. In doing so, he first upended the entrenched political class in his own party and then went on to an upset win in the general election.

A new timeline of Democratic opposition to immigration reform during the last three years, compiled by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), shows that President Trump was able to deliver on many of his campaign pledges through executive actions, while Congress remained deadlocked and deaf to the will of the American people. The report, Democratic Wall of Opposition to Immigration Reform in the Trump Era, finds that resistance has been spearheaded by Democratic Party leadership and reflects an increasingly radical open borders and anti-enforcement view of immigration policy.

"From Day One, the goal of the Democratic Party has been to block any legislation or executive action intended to secure our borders, effectively enforce immigration laws in the interior of the country, and reform our broken legal immigration process," noted Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "This obstructionist stance has included fierce opposition to many administration policies and proposals that the Democratic Party's leadership supported just a few years earlier."

Among the many areas where the Democratic Party has done a 180-degree reversal include:

Construction of a secure border wall along the southern border.
Ending abuse of our political asylum system and the exploitation of children.
Protecting the jobs and wages of American workers from competition by illegal aliens.
Implementing a merit-based legal immigration policy, first proposed by former Democratic House member and civil rights leader Barbara Jordan.

The report also tracks the Trump White House's effective use of executive authority to protect America's security and the interests of the American people in the absence of Congressional action. "Gridlock in Washington and resistance to real immigration reform by entrenched special interests with a grip on both parties did not negate the urgent need for action. The administration properly and legally exercised authority that has been granted to it by the Constitution and by Congress to act to protect vital national interests," said Stein. "In almost every circumstance these executive actions were challenged in the courts and in almost every case the administration has prevailed, although the litigation did succeed in delaying these actions."

Among the areas where executive action prevailed in the face of lawsuits include:

Travel restrictions on foreign nationals from countries known to support or harbor terrorists.
Use of non-earmarked funds for construction of border security fencing.
Barring likely public charges from admission to the United States.
Concluding agreements with Mexico and other nations to slow the flow of migrants intending to defraud U.S. asylum policies.
Ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for countries with no continuing emergencies.

"Democratic Wall of Opposition to Immigration Reform in the Trump Era provides a clear and concise timeline of policy initiatives taken over the past three and half years, all of which enjoy broad public support, and equally clear efforts on the part of the Democratic Party to thwart these changes or offer radical polar opposites. Amid the perpetual noise machine that has drowned out reasoned discourse on critical national issues, this report is an attempt to summarize what has been accomplished between 2017 and today, what has been stymied, and what the Democratic Party's vision for the next four years will be," Stein concluded.

Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 or [email protected]

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 2 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)