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Vice President Kamala Harris has touted the 2021 immigration bill as evidence that she and President Biden have been working to strengthen U.S. immigration policy ahead of the immigration crisis that has rocked the country for the past three and a half years.
But a closer look at the bill shows it would open a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.
“At the beginning of our administration, almost within hours of being sworn in, before we tackled infrastructure, before the Inflation Control Act, before the Chips and Science Act, before the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, we introduced our proposals to Congress. “The first bill, introduced virtually within hours of being sworn in, was a bill to fix our immigration system,” Harris said last week, the first bill since Biden withdrew from the presidential race. He said this in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. July and Harris have emerged as the top Democratic candidates.
“Yes, ma’am. It was called the United States Citizenship Act of 2021,” Baier responded, which Baier described as “essentially a path to citizenship.”
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Before Beyer began to say that the bill was “essentially a path to citizenship,” Harris responded, “That’s right.”
Harris’ response came as Baier accused the vice president of reversing President Trump’s border policies, including his policy that required undocumented immigrants to be detained while awaiting asylum hearings when he took office in 2021. It was done later. Mr. Baier told Mr. Harris that he regretted ending the “remain in Mexico” policy during the Trump administration, with consideration given to illegal immigrants who have committed murder and other horrific crimes in the United States under the Trump administration. Are you doing it?” he asked.
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One of the biggest questions this presidential election cycle is how the Harris administration will differ from the Biden administration. (Getty Images)
On Biden and Harris’ first day in office in 2021, the president sent Congress a bill billing itself as “bringing humanity and American values back to our immigration system.”
The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 was not enacted and instead was rejected by Congress, and in addition to “modernizing” the U.S. immigration system, it would “provide a path to citizenship and strengthen worker protections.” ” was explicitly detailed.
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After Congressional Democrats announced the bill in February of that year, the White House estimated that up to 11 million undocumented immigrants, including those deported under the Trump administration, could gain citizenship over an eight-year program. FOX News Digital reported at the time.
Migrants line up at a remote Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Lukeville, Arizona, Dec. 7, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)
“Applicants must be physically present in the United States by January 1, 2021. Finally, the bill would change the term “alien” in immigration law to “nonnational,” allowing those who were physically present in the United States to be exempt from the residency requirement. further recognizes us as a nation,” the White House fact sheet states. It’s listed on your bill.
Other items in the bill included granting immediate eligibility for green cards to agricultural workers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. It also expands the controversial green card lottery from 55,000 per year to 80,000 per year and waives visa limits for children and spouses, giving immigrants legal access to The road was supposed to be open.
Conservatives in Congress denounced the bill as an amnesty bill that not only fails to strengthen immigration laws but also encourages people to enter the country illegally.
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Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas, wait in line to be processed by the Border Patrol. (Helica Martinez/AFP via Getty Images)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it a “massive proposal for blanket amnesty that would gut America’s law enforcement while creating huge new incentives for people to flock here illegally.” I called it. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a member of the 2013 “Gang of Eight,” dismissed the bill as a non-starter.
Harris was grilled about her immigration policies during her interview with Baier, and she often dodged questions by responding with criticism of former President Trump.
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Baier began the interview Wednesday by asking Harris how many illegal immigrants have been released into the country by the Biden administration.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee on October 17, 2024. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Ms. Harris responded, “Well, I’m glad you brought up immigration, because I agree with you.” “That’s a topic of discussion that people naturally want, and you know what I’m going to say-“
“But it’s just a number,” Baier stressed. “Do you think it’s 1 million? Do you think it’s 3 million?”
“Brett, let’s get down to business, okay? The bottom line is that our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed,” Harris said. Baier said the Department of Homeland Security He interjected that he estimates that 6 million illegal immigrants have been released. In the US since the Biden-Harris administration.
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Immigration, the economy, health care and abortion are top concerns for voters this election cycle. The Fox News Power Rankings released earlier this month found Trump with a clear advantage on immigration, leading Harris by 11 points.
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.