Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

When we show up, we win.

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Immigration Open Thread: Another (Proposed) Big Biden Deal

Immigration Open Thread: Another (Proposed) Big Biden Deal

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Objectively good news, whatever the suits in the NYTimes corner office have persuaded each other:

… A 46-page draft blueprint obtained by The New York Times maps out the Biden administration’s plans to significantly expand the legal immigration system, including methodically reversing the efforts to dismantle it by former President Donald J. Trump, who reduced the flow of foreign workers, families and refugees, erecting procedural barriers tougher to cross than his “big, beautiful wall.”

Because of Mr. Trump’s immigration policies, the average time it takes to approve employer-sponsored green cards has doubled. The backlog for citizenship applications is up 80 percent since 2014, to more than 900,000 cases. Approval for the U-visa program, which grants legal status for immigrants willing to help the police, has gone from five months to roughly five years…

And while Mr. Biden made clear during his presidential campaign that he intended to undo much of his predecessor’s immigration legacy, the blueprint offers new details about how far-reaching the effort will be — not only rolling back Mr. Trump’s policies, but addressing backlogs and delays that plagued prior presidents.

The blueprint, dated May 3 and titled “D.H.S. Plan to Restore Trust in Our Legal Immigration System,” lists scores of initiatives intended to reopen the country to more immigrants, making good on the president’s promise to ensure America embraces its “character as a nation of opportunity and of welcome.”

Divided into seven sections, the document offers detailed policy proposals that would help more foreigners move to the United States, including high-skilled workers, trafficking victims, the families of Americans living abroad, American Indians born in Canada, refugees, asylum-seekers and farm workers. Immigrants who apply online could pay less in fees or even secure a waiver in an attempt to “reduce barriers” to immigration. And regulations would be overhauled to “encourage full participation by immigrants in our civic life.”…

But if Mr. Biden accomplishes everything in the document, he will have gone further than just reversing the downward trend. He will have significantly increased opportunities for foreigners around the globe to come to the United States, embracing robust immigration even as a divisive, decades-long political debate continues to rage over such a policy.

Most of the changes could be put into practice without passage of Mr. Biden’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people living in the United States but has stalled in a bitterly divided Congress…

Related news:

… A seven-page memo by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas marked the end of the “Migrant Protection Protocols,” which returned about 70,000 asylum-seekers to Mexico from January 2019 until it was halted on President Joe Biden’s first day in office two years later.

The announcement appeared to be a foregone conclusion after Biden promised as a candidate to end the policy, known informally as “Remain in Mexico,” but he left a window open by ordering a review before shutting it down permanently…

The secretary pointed to a new docket in immigration court announced Friday that aims to decide asylum cases at the border within 300 days. He promised “additional anticipated regulatory and policy changes,” without elaborating.

Another positive indicator — this dude absolutely haaaaates it!

Reader Interactions

40Comments

  1. 1.

    schrodingers_cat

    This will help ease things back to the way they were before the Orange Clown took over which is a good start. But I am afraid that without actually increasing the # of green cards available every year which needs legislation things won’t change as much.

    Steven Miller can DIAF

  2. 2.

    Baud

    The hopes, dreams, aspirations and rights of those already living here are deemed irrelevant and expendable.

    My hopes, dreams, aspirations, and rights are doing great!

  4. 4.

    TomatoQueen

    Mine too.  And a serious investment in upgrade of the entire immigration court system, of which the emergence of a whole new docket may be the first sign.

  5. 5.

    Geminid

    Aside from the factors of equity and justice, I want to see the Democrats bring up Comprehensive Immigreation Reform because it is a very fraught wedge issue for Republicans.

    And my own self-interest is at play. I hope to collect Social Security sometime, and the influx of 10+ million workers into the above-ground economy will change the actuarial basis of the Social Security system for the better.

  7. 7.

    japa21

    It should be noted that if the beneficiary of Biden’s plans would only have been people from Norway, Sweden and such places, Miller would have been all in favor of it.

  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I fully agree with Tobias Wilson-Bates. “If Biden gets his way” is a ludicrous and offensive way to frame an immigration reform story, even for the FTFNYT Political Desk.

  12. 12.

    dmsilev

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Steven Miller can DIAF

    I would argue that in a way it’s better for him to live and to watch his dreams of ethnic cleansing crumble around him.

    Let’s split the difference and lock him up somewhere but still allow him to get newspapers delivered.

  13. 13.

    Mike in NC

    The Orange Clown put Miller in charge of immigration policy, meaning only straight white Christians from places like Norway were welcome to come here.

    Fuck Stephen Miller. He can’t land a real job so he’s Trump’s ball washer and Diet Coke fetcher now.

  14. 14.

    piratedan

    @SiubhanDuinne: if the NYT has their way, there will be multiple subtle and not so subtle attempts to undermine the legitimacy of the Biden Administration.

  15. 15.

    Emma

    @schrodingers_cat: 100% agree. A LOT of work also needs to go into fixing the whole visa/work permit process. My friend submitted her application last September to renew her work permit, which expired in February. She got an unhelpful update from Immigration only after she contacted her congressional rep who then asked Immigration WTF. February came and went, and we still have no idea when her work permit will be renewed, and her employer has as good as said “bye, Felicia.” Thank FSM her husband works at Microsoft, which at least has the best immigration lawyers for their own workers, so at least they’re not in financial danger.

  16. 16.

    p.a.

    Staying in the Milennium Hilton NYC across from ground zero & there’s a group of Asians sporting “The New Federal State of China” baseball caps with “End the CCP” above the prole tag.  A Steve Bannon group!

  18. 18.

    Geminid

    @p.a.: The folks in the baseball caps also may be associated with The Epoch Times. They are promoting a renunciation of the Chinese Communist Party. Actual party membership is not that large, but since most Chinese children take an oath of loyalty to the Party as Young Pioneers, the Epoch Times claims that millions have resigned from the Party.

    One of my customers gives me copies of The Epoch Times. She used to be a Wall Street Journal Republican. Since the pandemic, she’s become an Epoch Times Republican.

  22. 22.

    Gvg

    IMO the anti immigrant politicians have been slowing immigration for decades by underfunding USCIS for decades in order to make getting citizenship and green cards harder to get. And more liberal politicians found that hard to fight, especially when cutting government waste was such a popular vote getter. Upgrading their computers or having enough staff weren’t funded. I also think that not all democratic voters actually like immigrants and it was kind of a wedge issue.
    Republicans starved all kinds of government agencies. It was an indirect attack that they didn’t always get blame for, so they kept doing it.

  23. 23.

    Another Scott

    WH.gov:

    Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on Administration’s Voting Rights Efforts

    JUNE 01, 2021 • STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

    Every American has a right to have their voice heard at the ballot box, and no American should be kept from voting early, voting by mail, or voting at all. Our democracy is strongest when everyone participates, and it is weaker when people are left out.

    Throughout the arc of our nation’s history, many have worked—and many have died—to ensure that all Americans can cast a ballot and have their vote counted. Today, that hard-won progress is under assault.

    In the last election, more people voted than ever before. Since then, more than 380 bills have been introduced across the country that would make it harder for Americans to vote. These bills seek to restrict the options that make voting more convenient and accessible, including early voting and vote by mail. Our Administration will not stand by when confronted with any effort that keeps Americans from voting.

    We must protect the fundamental right to vote for all Americans regardless of where they live. There are two important bills in Congress that would do just that. The For the People Act would provide all Americans with fair and accessible voting options, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would prevent discriminatory changes to voting laws and procedures.

    President Joe Biden asked me to help lead our Administration’s effort to protect the fundamental right to vote for all Americans. In the days and weeks ahead, I will engage the American people, and I will work with voting rights organizations, community organizations, and the private sector to help strengthen and uplift efforts on voting rights nationwide. And we will also work with members of Congress to help advance these bills.

    The work ahead of us is to make voting accessible to all American voters, and to make sure every vote is counted through a free, fair, and transparent process. This is the work of democracy.

    ###

    It’s good that they’re taking a multi-faceted approach, and not just saying they’ll work with Congress. I remember how she got Manchin’s attention by going on TV in WV and advocating for their policies on his stomping grounds. Lots of people in the administration need to be doing that and showing the Senate that they’re not a bunch of mini-presidents…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  25. 25.

    Spanky

    Hmmmm. Unmistakable scent of pot wafting through the windows in this Late Boomer neighborhood.

    No kids in nearby houses, either.

  27. 27.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Emma: We are approaching two years since my DIL filed for her green card, with no evident progress and no way to check on the status.

  28. 28.

    Ruckus

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I would prefer to see SM impaled in an exit orifice on a red hot 2 in dia x 20 ft long vertical steel bar. 1500 degrees ought to do the job so I could watch him melt or catch fire as he slid down. That might be enough.

  31. 31.

    Geminid

    @Ken: The cannabis laws in Virginia change July 1. Possession of small amounts and up to four plants will be legal. Some friends are jumping the gun on plants. I call them “Sooners.”

  32. 32.

    Emma

    @Gin & Tonic: oh dear, good luck to her. I’m gladder and gladder each day that I got my green card as a teen way back in 2006 and got to renew it in Obama’s last year.

  33. 33.

    James E Powell

    @Another Scott:

    I remember how she got Manchin’s attention by going on TV in WV and advocating for their policies on his stomping grounds. Lots of people in the administration need to be doing that

    I’d prefer that this not be a White House vs Manchin drama a) because the a holes in the press/media are dying for it and b) I don’t think it will work.

    People who live in WVa need to be calling all their elected Democrats and Democratic Party officials. When those people call Manchin to let him know what they are hearing, he might listen.

  35. 35.

    Soprano2

    Many of the same people who say “No one wants to work anymore” will wring their hands in distress at the thought of more foreign workers. My manager agrees with me that the immigration squeeze of the past 4 years is part of why the hospitality industry is having so many hiring problems.

  36. 36.

    dww44

    @James E Powell: This is what I asked our blogmaster to do last evening when he was so down.  It’s a tough slog, but I do believe that Manchin is persuadable. Who better than JC to lend a little credence to that persuasion?

  37. 37.

    Geminid

    @Soprano2: The part of Virginia where I live has been in a construction boom for a couple decades at least, and immigrants, many undocumented, are an essential and accepted part of the work force as framing carpenters, brick and stucco masons, landscape builders, etc. That’s why I see immigration reform as a Republican wedge issue. Big and medium businessmen are an important component of the Republican party here, and they want more workers with legal status. And the Chamber of Commerce types are already getting alienated. They used to call the shots in the Virginia Republican party, but now they get pushed around by the tea party cranks and bible thumpers.

    It’s probably different in an area like yours, though, or in Ohio. I’ve seen Virginia go from red to purple to blue the last twenty years, while Ohio has done the reverse.  I think the difference in economic growth played a part in this divergence.

  39. 39.

    Lyrebird

    @dmsilev: Only if you set the newspapers in a taco truck first.  Maybe one of those So Cal fusion ones I’ve heard of, so the newspaper will smell of delicious corn and kimchi all mixed together.

  40. 40.

    Kosh III

    A good friend of mine works for a major IT company in a very complex project.  His work visa expires soon.  He must return to India for at least a year. Someone less capable will have to cover his job.

    When I asked about getting a Green card he said could apply. The waiting time is approx.  84 YEARS.

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