The GOP and Democrat platforms on immigration

The Republicans/GOP and Democrats have posted their platforms for the upcoming 2024 elections. A platform is basically a political party’s position, vision and goals for what they hope to accomplish if elected. A platform deals with a wide variety of topics, such as the economy, foreign policy, safety and security, etc. The platforms also deal with the parties’ positions on immigration. In this article, I will discuss and contrast the GOP and Democratic Party platforms on immigration.

GOP on Immigration

The GOP seems to take a strict and harsh position on immigration. It deals primarily with enforcement, with little on immigration reform, legalization, etc. The title of the immigration section is “Seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion.”

The Republicans “offer an aggressive plan to stop the open-border policies that have opened the floodgates to a tidal wave of illegal aliens…” They plan to “restore every border policy of the Trump administration, halt the release of illegal aliens into the interior… Shift massive portions of federal law enforcement to immigration enforcement” and move thousands of troops and deploy the US Navy to help secure the southern border.

The Republicans also plan to “strengthen ICE, increase penalties for illegal entry and overstaying visas,” as well as bring back the travel ban.

The Republicans also promised to “begin largest deportation program in American history,” noting that the “Republican Party is committed to sending illegal aliens back home and removing those who have violated our laws.”

Republicans also intend to “prioritize merit-based immigration,” end “chain migration” and put American workers first.” This seems to be an attack on family-based petitions, as chain migration typically is where one family member comes to the US, legalizes and then starts petitioning other family members.

In sum, the GOP is focusing on a very tough, enforcement-based policy toward immigration.

Democrats on Immigration

The Democratic platform also deals with securing our border, but also with “fixing the broken immigration system.” They recognize that immigrants come to the US “to pursue freedom and opportunity, to flee oppression and to reunite with family members, and in turn have made our country stronger.”

As for securing the border, the Biden administration has increased the number of agents and officers on the Southwest border to over 24,000, is providing support to cities and states that are sheltering migrants and has launched expedited immigration court dockets to resolve asylum claims. The Biden administration has also asked Congress for additional funding to hire more border patrol, etc. and promises they will “push Congress to provide the resources and authorities that we need to secure the border,” including additional border patrol agents, immigration judges and asylum officers, to stop the flow of fentanyl.

The Democrats also offer temporary emergency authority to shut down the southern border, fight human trafficking and, most importantly, “expanding legal immigration and deterring illegal immigration.”

The Democrats note that the last major immigration update/reform was in the 1990s. “Many immigrants today are forced to wait years, and often decades, to immigrate lawfully to the United States.” The Democrats propose to increase family and employment-based immigration by 250,000 visas over the next five years. Obviously, the more visas that are available, the shorter the line or wait for a green card.

“Democrats will explore opportunities to identify or create work permits for immigrants, long-term undocumented residents and legally processed asylum seekers in our country.” The Democrats renew their support of Dreamers and DACA recipients: “Congress must pass legislation to provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, farmworkers, care workers and other long-term undocumented individuals who contribute to this country, by paying taxes and contributing to their local economies…” In other words, the Democrats are proposing green cards (or a pathway to citizenship) for not only Dreamers but also caregivers!

The Biden administration has also cut the processing times for those awaiting work authorizations, as well as ensuring that immigration decisions, including naturalization and work permit applications, are made fairly and as quickly as possible.

While the platforms contain other aspects of immigration, these are the highlights of the Republicans and Democrats’ proposals for immigration. So, if you are a US citizen and immigration is an important issue to you, now at least you know where the respective parties stand on enforcement and reform, so you can make an informed decision and vote accordingly.