US Senate official blocks Biden administration's immigration reforms in budget bill

US Senate parliamentarians on Monday blocked the Biden administration’s bid of utilizing the $3.5 trillion package for climate and social programmes towards the immigration policies that would grant American citizenship to millions of immigrants. Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough on September 20 ruled against Democrats' efforts to ramp up the budget deficit by about $139 billion that would provide a pathway to citizenship for 8 million immigrants, a source familiar with the development told news agency NPR. 

The budget, reserved for budgetary legislation, would have otherwise been allocated for immigrant reconciliation processes by the Democrats, but the Senate rebuffed such attempts by blocking the provision. This on Monday snubbed the prospects of permanent residency for millions of undocumented immigrants that entered the United States as children. Senate’s nonpartisan interpreter, MacDonough, ruled that such reconciliation processes do not adhere to the Senate procedural rules. 

Kerri Talbot, deputy director of the Immigration Hub, a group of pro-immigration said, “A path to permanent residency and citizenship has a significant budgetary impact, great bipartisan support, and above all it is critical to America’s recovery,” according to Associated Press. She went on to add, “work would continue “to ensure that millions of undocumented immigrants can have lasting protections,” as quoted by AP.

Immigration policy changes 'outweigh budgetary impact' rules Senate parliamentarian

“The policy changes of this proposal far outweigh the budgetary impact scored to it and it is not appropriate for inclusion in reconciliation,” MacDonough said, according to a copy of the decision which was obtained by CQ Roll Call. The announcement disappointed the Democratic pro-immigration lawmakers that wanted to act unilaterally despite Republican opposition by introducing several changes to immigration processes making permanent residence and citizenship procedures hassle-free. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a written statement, obtained by Associated Press, “We are deeply disappointed in this decision but the fight to provide lawful status for immigrants in budget reconciliation continues.” He added, “Senate Democrats have prepared alternate proposals and will be holding additional meetings with the Senate parliamentarian in the coming days.”

The $3.5 trillion measure has been shielded from GOP filibusters, which means that the Dem-motivated immigration provisions could not be included in it, the news agency reported, adding that it would require at least 60 Senate votes to defuse. The ‘immigration’ changes would stand no chance in the 50-50 Senate, it explained. The agency referred to a three-page memo to senators where in MacDonough noted that such provisions as the House Democrats seek, were not allowed in the bills of similar nature if their budget effect is “merely incidental” to their overall policy impact. She pointed out that the immigration changes that the democrats wanted to make have a language that is "by any standard a broad, new immigration policy.”

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)