McConnell's Immigration Inaction Could Imperil Senate Majority
Mitch McConnell is one of the wiliest tacticians in Washington. But he's making a rare mistake — one that could imperil his Senate majority.
The Majority Leader is largely ignoring immigration, even though voters named it the "most important problem" facing the country in a July Gallup poll. Aside from passing a $4.6 billion bill in June that provided humanitarian aid to illegal aliens trying to enter the United States across the southern border, McConnell's Senate hasn't touched the issue in months.
Voters overwhelmingly want Washington to reduce both illegal and legal immigration. That's especially true in the swing states that will make or break the GOP's hold on the Senate in 2020.
Senator McConnell could give these folks a reason to vote Republican next year by bringing bills on E-Verify, asylum reform, and chain migration to the floor.
Americans in both parties want to scale back legal immigration. By a nearly 3-to-1 margin, voters in Arizona and Michigan favor cutting annual green card allotments from the current level of 1 million to 750,000 or less. North Carolinians support the cuts by a 2-to-1 margin. And 55 percent of Coloradans approve, compared to only 32 percent who are opposed, according to a Pulse Opinion Research poll of battleground states.
Voters also support crackdowns on illegal immigration. Eighty-seven percent of Republicans and 68 percent of Independents think decriminalizing illegal border crossings — an idea endorsed by leading Democratic presidential candidates — would be a "bad idea," according to a mid-July Marist poll.
Their concerns are justified. In October, U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended more than 35,000 illegal border-crossers. That's 10,000 more apprehensions than in October 2018.
Yet the Senate continues to do the bare minimum. The recent $4.6 billion supplemental funding bill, for instance, helps border officials manage crowded conditions at detention facilities and shelters.
While this humanitarian aid is necessary, it's just a band-aid fix. A serious response would address the underlying causes of this crisis.
For starters, the Senate could turn off the jobs magnet that attracts most illegal aliens. According to Pew Research, nine in 10 Central American migrants come to find work — not to escape violence in their home countries.
Sen. Chuck Grassley's Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act offers a path forward. The bill would require employers to check the immigration status of every new hire using a free online tool called E-Verify.
Making it nearly impossible for illegal aliens to get jobs would deter many from coming. More than 75 percent of swing-state voters support mandatory E-Verify, according to the latest Zogby Analytics poll.
Cracking down on asylum fraud would likewise deter illegal immigration. Right now, over 80 percent of asylum petitioners pass an initial "credible fear" screening — but only 20 percent ultimately receive asylum. However, these fraudulent petitioners get to stay in the United States for years while their cases are adjudicated.
Sen. Lindsey Graham's Secure and Protect Act would tighten the standard of "credible fear" to limit false asylum claims. It would also require asylum seekers to cross at official ports of entry and first apply in Mexico and Central America. And it would establish a "100-day completion goal" for courts to adjudicate asylum cases.
Such reforms would boost Republicans' electoral fortunes. Six in 10 swing-state voters are concerned about illegal aliens abusing our asylum system, according to a recent Zogby Analytics poll.
Meanwhile, the Raise Act, sponsored by Sens. Tom Cotton, David Perdue, and Josh Hawley, would deliver the green card cuts that most voters desire. The legislation would curb legal immigration by about half. Seventy-nine percent of Republicans, 59 percent of Independents, and even 53 percent of Democrats want to reduce legal immigration to less than 500,000 per year, according to a Harvard/Harris poll.
Immigration is a winning issue for Republicans. Let's hope Senator McConnell realizes that — and brings these bills to the floor. If they pass, it'll motivate voters. And if they fail due to Democrats' intransigence, it'll demonstrate just how out of touch progressives have become.
Lou Di Leonardo, who lives in Fairfax County, Virginia, served as a founding member of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
