The Democratic Party’s 2024 platform endorses a bill that would create a pathway for illegal immigrants to become “lawful prospective immigrants” who would be issued IDs and Social Security numbers and be able to vote and join the U.S. military.
The U.S. Citizenship Act would empower the Homeland Security Secretary to “adjust the status of a lawful prospective immigrant to that of a lawful permanent resident” should an immigrant remain in the country for five years, without absences longer than 180 days. The bill would also allow deported illegals to return if they had lived in the United States for at least three years.
“The legal immigration framework was last updated in 1990 and does not reflect the needs of our country in the 21st century,” the “Expanding Legal Immigration & Deterring Illegal Immigration” plank of the DNC platformsays. “The U.S. Citizenship Act would permanently increase family-sponsored and employment-based immigration.”
The 352-page U.S. Citizenship Act, which has no Republican co-sponsors, essentially creates a pathway by which all 10 million illegal immigrants in the country are allowed to permanently reside here.
Very few crimes would exclude an illegal immigrant from being made a permanent resident under the act. Migrants are eligible for reclassification so long as they have not committed a felony in 10 years, or three or more misdemeanors in five years.
But even then, there are several exceptions. Immigration felonies — like continuously returning to the country after being deported — are not counted against migrants. Nor are marijuana crimes or acts of “civil disobedience.” Multiple misdemeanor charges incurred on the same day are only counted as a single crime.
The U.S. Citizenship Act goes beyond amnesty. Individuals who crossed the border illegally after the bill takes effect would be allowed “alternatives to detention” and offered “community support” instead of jail time. The bill would make it illegal for businesses to consider a job applicant’s citizenship status into account, and employers could incur thousands of dollars in fines if someone claims to have been discriminated against in hiring.
Illegal immigrants who entered the United States as minors could be reclassified as “permanent residents” if they graduated high school or served in the military. Such “DACA recipients” could also work for Congress and get federally-backed mortgages. The bill also mandates DEI training for border enforcement agents and immigration judges, and requires the federal government to pay for lawyers for illegal immigrants.
No comments: