2013
President Obama and the Democrats backs a Senate immigration bill (S.744) aimed to significantly increase border security by authorizing over $30 billion to hire and deploy at least 19,200 additional Border Patrol agents over 10 years.
It focused on doubling the number of agents and installing new fencing to strengthen the southern border.
Congressional Republicans refuse to bring the bill to the floor. They state they want an issue to run on in 2016.
2018
Illegal immigration crossings in 2018 at the southern border reaches a ten year high.
The Trump administration offers no long term solution to the immigration issue.
They ignore the issue for 4 years.
2021
Vice President Kamala Harris is tasked with dealing with the root causes of immigration in South America and Mexico.
“This issue cannot be reduced to a political issue,” she said during a news conference.“The reality of it is that we have to deal with causes, and we have to deal with the effects,”
Kamala launches Call to Action, an initiative for U.S. corporations and private companies from around the world to invest in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Call to Action helps build long-term development of the region. It creates economic opportunity, workforce development, public health access, strengthens democratic institutions, combats corruption and improves security.
The goal is to improve the infrastructure of the government in these countries, so migrants won't be forced to flee due to lack of healthcare, public safety and other government services.
As part of this Call to Action launch, 12 companies and organizations, including Microsoft announced long-term commitments to support inclusive economic development in the Northern Triangle.
Call to Action Accomplishments
- 5.2 billion dollars raised
- Connected 4 million to internet
- Connected 400 thousand people to skill based training.
These investments are creating jobs, connecting people to the digital economy, expanding access to financing for small businesses, providing training and education for youth, women and workers, and improving economic livelihoods for people in the region.
President Biden’s pushes a 2024 bipartisan bill prioritizing border security. The 2024 Senate "Border Act of 2024" aimed to tighten asylum standards, increase deportations, and give the DHS authority to "shut down" the border during high-volume encounters.
Republicans in the Senate refuse to vote on the bill after pressure from Donald Trump. He states he does not want to give the Biden administration a win before the 2024 election. The bill never makes it to a vote.
The Trump administration in its second term expanded "fast-track" deportations, a process that limits or removes the right to a hearing before an immigration judge, even applying this to individuals in the U.S. interior.
Trump has used this 1798 act to attempt to remove people without traditional immigration proceedings, though this was challenged in court.
The administration lifted 2011 guidelines that restricted ICE agents from making arrests at schools, hospitals, and churches.