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Legislative bills

Democrats Push for Ambitious Immigration Reform Through Budget Reconciliation Process

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Democratic lawmakers are moving forward with a plan to legalize an estimated 8 million undocumented immigrants living in the US without legal status through a budget bill that would circumvent the 60-vote threshold typically needed to pass major legislation in the Senate. The plan would allow undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries, farmworkers, and other pandemic-era essential workers to apply for permanent US residency, or green cards.

Key Takeaways:

  • The budget reconciliation process allows spending bills to pass the Senate with a simple majority, which the Democrats are using to push for their immigration reform plan.
  • The plan would allow approximately 8 million undocumented immigrants to apply for permanent US residency, which would increase federal benefits, such as Affordable Care Act healthcare subsidies, Medicaid, refundable tax credit, Supplemental Security Income, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamps.
  • The Congressional Budget Office's preliminary estimate predicts that this would increase budget deficits by $139.6 billion over a 10-year period.
  • Democratic Congressman Raul Ruiz, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said this is the moment to place millions of undocumented immigrants on a pathway to US citizenship, highlighting their contributions to the US effort to fend off the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Republicans have denounced the plan as "amnesty" and criticized Democrats for proposing to legalize undocumented immigrants amid a 21-year high in migrant apprehensions along the US-Mexico border.
  • Democrats believe historical precedent is on their side, citing a 2005 budget reconciliation bill that would have increased the number of green cards available to immigrants.
  • The legalization program, if enacted, would be a massive operation for the Department of Homeland Security, which reviews green card petitions, and would require a significant undertaking to process potentially millions of applications.

Statistics:

  • Estimated 8 million undocumented immigrants living in the US without legal status that the plan would benefit.
  • $139.6 billion increase in budget deficits over a 10-year period, according to the Congressional Budget Office's preliminary estimate.
  • 21-year high in migrant apprehensions along the US-Mexico border.
  • 2005: the year a budget reconciliation bill was proposed to increase the number of green cards available to immigrants.

Sources:

  • CBS News: "Democrats trying to bypass Senate's 60-vote filibuster to pass massive immigration bill"
  • Representative Raul Ruiz (36th District of California): "This is the moment to place millions of undocumented immigrants on a pathway to US citizenship"
  • Senate Democratic aides: statement that passing legislation through reconciliation is permissible because the bill's budgetary effects are substantial, direct, and intended
  • Republican staffers in Congress: 16-page internal outline obtained by CBS News criticizing the Democrats' plan
  • Congressional Budget Office: preliminary estimate of $139.6 billion increase in budget deficits over a 10-year period

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