Former Rep. Tom Suozzi became the latest local Democrat to plead with President Biden and congressional leaders for federal relief for the immigration crisis impacting New York’s budget.
“The federal government has foisted the problem on New York City, New York state and other states because they failed to address this problem for such a long period of time,” Suozzi, 61, told reporters Tuesday in a press conference during which he released two letters he wrote to Biden and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
“Right now it’s reaching epic proportions,” Suozzi continued. “What we really need to do is create this urgency for the federal government to do its job and pass a comprehensive solution. “I’m trying to raise the temperature on this issue.”
Suozzi, who is trying to recapture the Third District seat he held for six years in a Feb. 13 special election to replace lying Rep. George Santos (R-NY), tried to flatter Biden in his letter praising his stewardship of economy and foreign affairs before asking him to take a bigger role in solving the problem.
Tom Suozzi served in the House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
“I ask you to propose a comprehensive, moderate solution that finally secures our border and recognizes the hardship and suffering that has resulted from the federal government’s decades-long failure to address this very real problem,” he wrote.
The Democrat proposed opening a “comprehensive border complex,” similar to Ellis Island, to speed up the processing of migrants and use more judges to resolve asylum cases in order to alleviate delays.
Suozzi’s petition gives a sense of the dynamics driving what is expected to be a close race against Republican Mazi Pilip to succeed Santos, who was expelled from Congress on December 1.
President Biden offered some border security reforms as part of his supplemental request, but Republicans argued it was insufficient, triggering negotiations. AP
A procession of local Democratic elected officials has expressed displeasure with Biden’s handling of the migrant crisis, and local leaders such as New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson urged the feds to take a step forward.
Adams has publicly complained that Biden did not meet with him about the crisis, even as the Big Apple has welcomed more than 161,000 immigrants in the past 18 months, according to city officials.
At the same time, Biden has faced anger from progressives over a deal the White House helped negotiate that would increase spending on border security as part of a broader package that would also include supplemental aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Migrants walk in a caravan towards the United States, from the city of Escuintla, Mexico. Juan Manuel Blanco/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“I would like to see the president make this a priority,” Suozzi said of negotiations over the spending plan. “I think it’s an important issue in the Senate right now. We have to do the same in the House.”
In his letter to Johnson and Jeffries, Suozzi asked that the “House implement a more formal process to encourage good faith negotiations and collaboration with the Senate.”
The deal has so far been negotiated in the Senate, where lawmakers have struggled to smooth over differences over how to address the influx of asylum seekers. Specifically, a major sticking point is the so-called “parole” policy, which allows immigrants to enter the United States while their asylum claims are resolved in court, according to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) has been the top Republican in Senate talks on an immigration deal. fake images
The three main negotiators, Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), discussed the issue remotely over the winter break and began resuming negotiations. conversations in Washington, DC. .
During fiscal year 2023, which ended Sept. 30, more than 2.47 million encounters with migrants were reported along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. .
Suozzi told Biden in his letter: “I share your frustration with the political theater now unfolding in the House of Representatives.”
He also pointed to legislation he helped draft with then-Rep. Peter King (R-NY) to get “better radar technology, better ports of entry, better physical barriers, more immigration judges and more border patrol agents.”
“The plan also included humanitarian assistance at the border, foreign aid to reduce emigration from Central America, and a path to earned citizenship for Dreamers and TPS recipients and legal residency for others. The fees charged to the applicants would cover the costs of the proposal,” he added.
Suozzi asked Biden, Johnson and Jeffries to consider dusting off that plan.
Republicans currently hold a 220-213 majority in the House of Representatives, meaning any spending plan can only lose three Republican votes and still pass along party lines.
Carl Campanile contributed to this report.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn