‘He abused the law’: GOP bill promises to wind down key Biden-era policies that benefited migrants

FIRST ON FOX: A bill introduced by Republican Sen. Jim Banks would end many Biden-era measures aimed at allowing migrants to enter the U.S. or protecting them from deportation as Republicans anticipate a potential political upheaval next year that will change the direction of the U.S. immigration policy.

Banks is introducing the Ending Executive Branches Amnesty Act, which would target the Biden administration’s use of humanitarian parole to let migrants into the U.S. and limit the use of Temporary Protected Status to protect them from deportation.

As part of its efforts to expand legal migration pathways to curb the ongoing migrant crisis at the border, the Biden administration used parole to allow 1,450 migrants per day to use the CBP One app at the border. It also allowed this 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to the United States to fly to the US under a separate program.

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The Biden administration says these programs have helped reduce migration and ensure an orderly process at the border. Republicans say the moves constitute an abuse of parole allowing otherwise inadmissible aliens to be admitted. The CHNV program was briefly halted after DHS found evidence of sponsor fraud.

“It is a key part of our efforts to address the unprecedented levels of migration in our hemisphere, and other countries around the world see it as a model for tackling the challenge of increased illegal migration they are also experiencing.” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejando Mayorkas he said earlier this year.

Separately, the Biden administration has used Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to allow migrants from countries affected by conflict and hardship to remain protected from deportation, including countries such as Venezuela and Haiti.

Critics pointed to cities such as Charleroi, Pennsylvania, Springfield, Ohio and Logansport, Indiana as examples of parts of the country struggling with an influx of paroled migrants.

The Banks Act would limit TPS designations by requiring Congress to approve them for 12-month periods and requiring additional congressional action to extend them.

The bill would also limit parole eligibility to a hard limit of 1,000 years per year, significantly reduced from the hundreds of thousands currently allowed. Parole would also only be allowed in limited circumstances, such as medical emergencies.

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The bill would also impose stricter eligibility and placement criteria for unaccompanied children following reports of UAC being lost by authorities. Meanwhile, the use of DHS documents, such as notices of appearance and the CBP One app, will not be available for airport security screenings.

While the bill would face a tough challenge in the Democratic-controlled Senate and would almost certainly be vetoed by President Biden or Harris, it would likely gain significant support in Republican-controlled chambers and executive branches.

“The Biden-Harris administration has abused existing laws by granting legal status to millions of non-citizens. “Republicans must restore our immigration system to what Congress originally intended and ensure that parole is used only as a last-ditch humanitarian measure to help foreign nationals in times of disaster,” Banks said in a statement.

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Banks mentioned Logansport, a city in his state of Indiana that has seen about 5,000 Haitian migrants in several years — in addition to the millions who have crossed the southern border.

“Over the past three years, millions of foreigners have crossed dangerously and illegally across our southern border under the Biden-Harris Administration’s promise of future amnesty. “Democrats have broken our immigration system, and my bill would help fix it by ending mass parole and other magnets that bring people here illegally.”

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The bill comes days before Election Day and as Vice President Harris and former President Trump duel over who is the better candidate on border security and immigration. Harris pointed to a recent but sharp decline in border encounters under the Biden administration and sharply criticized Trump for failing to support a bipartisan security bill aimed at increasing border funding. Trump says the border crisis is a result of the Biden administration rolling back its policies and has promised to restore many of them and launch a campaign of mass deportations.