FIRST
FIRST TIME SINCE HER EMERGENCY BRAIN SURGERY ON ELECTION NIGHT .
WE START WITH PRESIDENT JOE
BIDEN'S IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL
LEGISLATION THAT COULD HAVE A
PROFOUND IMPACT ON OUR BORDER
STATE.
JOINING US TO DISCUSS WHETHER
THIS IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL
HAS A CHANCE AND HOW DEMOCRATIC
SENATORS KYRSTEN SINEMA AND
MARK KELLY WILL NAVIGATE
IMMIGRATION REFORM AND COVID
RELIEF ARE PAUL BENCE, SENIOR
VICE PRESIDENT AT HIGHGROUND
CONSULTING IN PHENIX AND ROY
HERRERA, AN ELECTION LAW
ATTORNEY AT BALAD SPA IN
PHENIX.
HE'S WORKED FOR THE MARK KELLY
CAMPAIGN.
AND WELCOME BACK TO SQUARE OFF.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
THANK YOU.
LET'S START WITH THREE BULLET
POINTS ON THE BIDEN PLAN.
IT CREATES AN YOUR PATH TO
CITIZENSHIP FOR MOST OF THE 11
MILLION UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
IN THE US IT DROPS RESTRICTIONS
ON FAMILY BASED IMMIGRATION AND
OFFERS GREEN CARDS TO DACA
RECIPIENTS UNLIKELY 2013 GANG
OF EIGHT REFORMS.
THERE'S NOT MUCH ON BORDER
ENFORCING PAUL.
WAS THIS THE TIME OR THE PLACE
FOR JOE BIDEN TO BRING UP
IMMIGRATION REFORM?
WELL, YOU KNOW, A CLASSIC
NEGOTIATION TECHNIQUE.
YOU'VE GOT TWO OPTIONS EITHER
FOOT IN THE DOOR OR DOOR IN THE
FACE AND I THINK MAYBE GOING
FOR DOOR IN THE FACE WITH A BIG
NEGOTIATION AND HOPEFULLY MAYBE
GOING TO BACK OFF OF IT.
BUT THE LAST FOUR YEARS HAVEN'T
BEEN A LOT NEGOTIATING IN
GENERAL.
SO I THINK HE'S GOT A VERY
TOUGH HILL TO CLIMB.
AND ROY RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE,
THE LEAD SPONSOR OF THE BILL,
SENATOR BOB MENENDEZ EXCUSE ME
OF NEW JERSEY SAID IT WILL BE
TOUGH TO WIN OVER THE 10
REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE
NEEDED TO PASS THE BILL.
SO AGAIN, WHY BRING IT UP NOW?
WELL, I THINK YOU BRING IT UP
NOW BECAUSE SOMETHING NEEDS TO
BE DONE.
YOU I THINK FOR TOO LONG WE
HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR
IMMIGRATION REFORM TO BE DONE
AND I THINK DEMOCRATS CERTAINLY
PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR JOE BIDEN
WANT TO SEE HIM DONE IN A WAY
THAT AGAIN IS TRUE TO OUR
VALUES AND HELPS PEOPLE THAT
ARE HERE THAT ARE UNDOCUMENTED
AND ESPECIALLY THE DREAMERS AND
IN WAYS THAT HELPS THE ECONOMY.
SO I THINK THE REASON WHY
THEY'RE CLOSING THIS IS BECAUSE
I THINK THE TIME HAS COME TO
TRY TO GET IT DONE NOW I HAVE
TO POINT OUT, ROY, YOU RAISED A
RUCKUS ON SOCIAL MEDIA LAST
WEEK.
WE MADE COMMENTS POLITICAL
ABOUT IMMIGRATION REFORM AND
QUOTE THE NEED FOR A SOLUTION
THAT IS BALANCED SOME RELIEF
FOR UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
WHILE ENSURING THE BORDER IS
SECURE BORDER A PROGRESSIVE
DEMOCRATS DIDN'T LIKE THAT.
THEY LIKE THIS BILL.
THEY WANT TO MOVE FORWARD IN A
WAY YOU JUST SAID THEY SAY WE
PUT MARK KELLY AND KYRSTEN
SINEMA IN OFFICE FOR BOLD
REFORM.
SO WHAT ABOUT THAT?
WHERE IS THE PAYOFF FOR THOSE
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS AS WELL
AS OTHERS IF THERE'S JUST
MEASURED REFORM?
WELL, I THINK THE PAYOFF IS YOU
KNOW, LISTEN, WE HAVE MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE THAT ARE UNDOCUMENTED
DREAMERS, ET CETERA THAT ARE AS
AMERICAN AS YOU OR I THAT NEED
HELP.
THEY NEED RELIEF.
AND I THINK ULTIMATELY WHETHER
THAT'S DONE ON ITS OWN OR
WHETHER THAT'S DONE IN A
COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE, IT NEEDS
TO GET DONE NOW OF COURSE, YOU
KNOW, GIVEN THE SENATE AND THE
FILIBUSTER AND ALL THESE THINGS
GETTING TO 60 VOTES, GETTING TO
THE 10 REPUBLICANS THAT YOU
MENTIONED MAYBE DIFFICULT AND
PROBABLY THE ONLY REALISTIC WAY
TO DO THAT IS DO IT IN A
COMPREHENSIVE MANNER.
NOW OF COURSE IF THE DREAM ACT
WANTS TO IS GOING TO GO ALONE
AND BE PASSED ON ITS OWN, I
THINK WE SHOULD DO THAT IF
THAT'S POSSIBLE.
AND PAUL, ONE OF THE
CONSUMMATELY BIGGEST THING IS
GETTING HELP FOR PEOPLE.
PAUL, ONE OF THE CONCERNS FROM
DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
ON THE TEXAS BORDER IS A SUDDEN
LURCH TO THE LEFT ON
IMMIGRATION REFORM AFTER
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S HARD LINE WAY
TO THE RIGHT ON THE BORDER.
THAT CONTRAST THEY SAY IS
REALLY TOUGH FOR THEM AND MAY
GIVE REPUBLICANS AN OPENING TO
ATTACK.
HOW DO YOU HOW DO YOU VIEW
THAT?
I THINK REPUBLICANS ARE GOING
TO HAVE A HARD TIME WITH IT.
GENERAL IMMIGRATION HAS BEEN
ONE OF THE HIGHEST ISSUES IN
THE STATE OF ARIZONA AND IN
PLACES LIKE TEXAS FOR A LONG
TIME.
OUR DEBATE ON THE ISSUE IS MUCH
MORE MATURE AND UNTIL VERY
RECENTLY IT WAS A TOP ISSUE
AMONG REPUBLICANS.
IT'S BEEN SUBSIDED RIGHT NOW BY
ELECTION FRAUD BUT AS SOON AS
THEY GET OVER THAT I THINK
THEY'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO
IMMIGRATION.
THEY ARE IN SHAMBLES FROM THE
JANUARY 16TH CORRECTION AND
THIS IS THE EXACT THING THAT
REPUBLICANS COULD USE TO RALLY
AROUND SOMETHING ELSE.
AND AGAIN, BIDEN ON AN
IMMIGRATION ISSUE LIKE THIS,
ESPECIALLY IF IT DOESN'T HAVE
BORDER ENFORCEMENT AND IF IT
REACHES TOO FAR.
SO GIVEN WHAT MENENDEZ SAID,
GIVEN WHAT YOU'VE JUST SAID AND
THE REALITY OF A 50 50 SENATE,
WHAT COULD GET DONE ON
IMMIGRATION REFORM BY THE END
OF THIS YEAR?
ROY?
WELL, I THINK THE DREAM ACT IS
ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT IS
THAT DOES HAVE BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT.
I THINK A LOT OF REPUBLICAN
SENATORS HAVE EXPRESSED SUPPORT
FOR THAT.
THAT IS THE ONE THING I THINK
THAT COULD GET DONE ON ITS OWN
.
I HOPE IT GETS DONE AT THE VERY
LEAST.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S REALISTIC
AFTER THAT I THINK WE'LL SORT
OF SEE ONCE WE GET PAST THE
COVERT RELIEF PACKAGE IN THE
PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, HOW
HARD THEY PUSH FOR IMMIGRATION
REFORM IN A COMPREHENSIVE
MANNER.
I HOPE THEY DO THAT BECAUSE YOU
KNOW, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
WAS UNABLE TO DO THAT AT THE
TIME HAS COME TO GET IT DONE
NOW.
WHEN WE COME BACK, MORE OF OUR
CONVERSATION ABOUT IMMIGRATION
REFORM AND COVID RELEASE.
AND LATER FOR THE FIRST TIME,
MARICOPA COUNTY ATTORNEY
ALISTER ADELL IS