WASHINGTON—Heritage Action released the following statements today ahead of an event at the White House at which President Joe Biden is expected to announce plans to circumvent federal law and exacerbate the border crisis by offering legal status to another large group of illegal aliens.
Heritage Action President Dr. Kevin Roberts shared with press this morning:
“Just when you think you've heard it all from the Biden-Harris regime, they have articulated and will soon release details of what we think is going to be one of the largest mass amnesty schemes in American history. They’re going to tell us that it’s ‘only 500,000 people.’ But, having lived in Wyoming, adding the population of an entire state—on top of the more than 10 million illegal aliens who are already here—is fundamentally reordering American society.”
Heritage Action Executive Vice President Ryan Walker told the Washington Examiner:
“President Biden sees the writing on the wall and knows his disastrous and unpopular border policies will put him out of job in November. But instead of trying to fix the crisis he made that’s getting Americans killed, he’s doing everything he can to further destroy our immigration system before his executive authority is taken away by the voters.
“Biden’s potential mass amnesty order would be another attempt to circumvent the law and Congress to reward illegal aliens at the expense of American taxpayers. Voters should take note of his priorities when they go to the ballot box.”
President Biden is poised to announce one of the largest mass amnesty programs in history through an Executive Order creating a new “parole-in-place” program. In conflict with the law, the program would give legal status to at least 500,000 illegal aliens married to American citizens. This number is likely to grow due to inevitable fraud, abuse, and the migration surge it is sure to trigger.
Based on what we know so far, Biden’s so-called “parole-in-place” order would be one of the largest mass amnesty schemes in American history. Instead of working to close the deadly border he intentionally opened, Biden is putting illegal aliens above American citizens by issuing another executive order that will encourage more illegal immigration and leave taxpayers to pick up the tab.
BACKGROUND:
“Parole-in-place” is yet another example of a made-up policy and industrial-scale abuse of the authority provided under Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This section authorizes the federal government to grant parole (allow entry) to aliens who otherwise are inadmissible for temporary periods, on a case-by-case basis, for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. The illegal aliens granted amnesty under this plan do not qualify under any of the requirements laid out for parole in federal statute.
Since day one, Biden has abused parole to usher millions of inadmissible aliens into the country—fueling the historic invasion we’re facing now. Under federal law, an alien who illegally enters the U.S. and then marries a citizen is generally not eligible for a green card, while an alien who legally enters is eligible.
The results of such a sweeping, unlawful use of parole-in-place would be catastrophic.
First, it would immediately encourage more illegal immigration, marriage fraud, and the transportation of children to and across the border. Second, it would add to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ enormous backlog and workload, making the wait for other green card applicants longer and be extraordinarily unfair to those going through the legal process. Third, it would come at a significant cost to the American taxpayer—opening the door to countless federal benefit programs.
After three years of Biden’s border policies, immigration is now a top concern for the American people. According to polling, a staggering 70% of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of the border.
The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action have long pointed to H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, as the only lasting solution to the dangerous situation caused by the Biden administration's immigration policies. H.R. 2 passed the U.S. House of Representatives more than one year ago, but U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has refused to allow the chamber to consider the bill.