While the United States Congress didn’t solve the border crisis before it’s five-week August recess began, representatives and senators worked up to the last minute attempting to pass some form of legislation to help.
House members even delayed their recess as they worked to find a border-funding bill that would work for everyone.
The bill, H.R. 15 — titled Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act — would provide $694 million to respond to the crisis at the U.S. border. The proposed funding is far less than the $3.7 billion requested by President Barack Obama for 2014–2015. The cuts were designed to allow for an easier decision to pass the bill, according to news reports.
Overwhelmed system
According to the New York Post, H.R. 15 would seek to do three things: 1) Provide care and processing of the thousands of migrant children. 2) Improve border security.
3) Close a loophole in a 2008 law that delays deportation of children specifically from Central America.
But debates on the bill arose since House Democrats said they would not support the bill, saying it did not contain enough money to provide for the children, according to congressman David Price (D–N.C.).
The Senate version of legislation written to respond to the immigrant surge of both children and adults (Senate Resolution 486) failed to pass before the Senate adjourned for recess July 31. Republicans opposed the measure because it did not include any policy changes to make it easier to deport children back to Central America, according to CNN.com.
Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said, “With great concern, we as policy makers must face the reality that the president is openly planning to use executive actions to provide amnesty and work permits to millions without any lawful authority. The Congress has a duty to resist.”
More than 57,000 unaccompanied children from places like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have crossed America’s border since October 2013 causing a crisis of how to house and care for them.
And although the Senate passed broad reform legislation in 2013, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission said it needs improvement. So far, House of Representatives committees have approved bills dealing with such matters as strengthening border and national security and providing visas for guest workers. The full House has yet to act on those bills, however.
(Compiled by news services, BP, TAB)
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