Read the full column here.
Washington, D.C.—As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) prepares to hold a hearing this afternoon with his Senate colleague Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) on their most recent anti-immigrant bill, the Hinder the Administration’s Legalization Temptation Act, or HALT Act, CAP’s Marshall Fitz writes about the dire consequences for the our immigration system’s integrity if the bill is passed. The HALT Act would take away the immigration agencies’ discretion in making decisions related to the detention and removal of immigrants and, under certain circumstances, providing relief.
According to Fitz, the authors and supporters of the HALT Act are wedded to a fantasy that undocumented immigrants will up and leave the country if we make life harsh enough and treat immigrants and their families shabbily enough. This bill’s goal of scrubbing all discretionary relief out of the immigration system is mean spirited and counterproductive.
Blinded by anti-immigrant zeal, their efforts to handcuff DHS will make us less safe. It will be harder for our agents to effectively prioritize the removal of gang members over hard-working mothers and children. Read more here.
Marshall Fitz is Director of Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress.
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To speak with CAP’s immigration experts about this issue, please contact Raúl Arce-Contreras at [email protected] or 202.478.5318.
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