As we approach the midterms this November, there appears to be only one immigration
bill that is likely to pass before Republicans possibly retake Congress.
Despite there being a few immigration reform bills proposed this year,
none of them have been signed into law and the window to do so is shrinking.
So today
we're going to look at the immigration bills that have been proposed in 2022,
which two have the greatest chances of passing, and of those two,
which one will likely be the only immigration bill passed this year?
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So which immigration bills have been introduced in 2022
and what is the likelihood of them passing?
In February, the House introduced a new version of the America Competes Act,
which would create a new visa category for entrepreneurs
and exempt those with a Ph.D.
in STEM fields from annual green card limits.
The bill has since turned into a subsidy for microchip companies
and no longer contains any immigration provisions.
Also in February was the Dignity Act, which established a path
to citizenship for undocumented individuals and increased border security.
This bill failed to find enough bipartisan support after Democrats
and Republicans both took issue with different parts of the legislation.
In March The Relief Act was introduced in the Senate,
which would eliminate the visa backlog by eliminating per-country caps
for employment-based green cards and increasing per-country caps
for family-based green cards from 7% to 15% each year.
According to Congress.gov, there have been no
additional actions on the bill since it was introduced on March 1st.
In April, the Jumpstart Act
was introduced in the House, which would recapture employment
and family visas and allow immigrants to file their adjustment of status
without waiting until a visa is available in their category.
This also hasn't
had any additional actions on the bill since it was introduced on April 4th.
In June, the Eagle Act was introduced by Zoe Lofgren, which is similar
to the Relief Act and is designed to change the per-country caps for U.S.
visas.
And most recently was the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration
Act of 1929, which was reintroduced in July and would create a rolling registry
for undocumented individuals who have been in the country for seven years.
Unfortunately, most of these bills have stalled
and the more recent bills are unlikely to pass this year.
But there are still two immigration bills that appear
to have a chance— One of which we've discussed on my channel before.
We'll take a look at that first one and then discuss a new bill that many
are saying has the greatest chance of passing Congress.
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act was passed in the House in March of 2021,
with 30 Republican votes making it the most bipartisan immigration
bill in Congress.
The bill provides a pathway to citizenship for undocumented agricultural workers,
as well as a year round H-2A visa option, wage consistency for farm workers,
mandated housing for migrant employees,
and a streamlined application process for employers.
It's estimated that the bill would affect approximately
2.4 million farm workers in the U.S..
The reason for bipartisan support is because farms across the country
are unable to get the workers they need, resulting in empty shelves
and higher food prices at a time when inflation is already high.
Despite this pressure,
one of the strongest supporters of the bill, Republican Senator Mike
Crapo of Idaho, recently admitted that the bill would not pass soon.
Which leaves only one immigration bill with a high probability of getting passed
this year.
That National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, funds
the military and has been passed every year since 1961.
The House just passed their version last month
and it includes three amendments that are designed to help immigrants.
One of those helps the tens of thousands of Afghan refugees
who are stranded in the country
by increasing the processing capacity for Afghan special immigrant visas.
The second helps Afghan students come to the U.S.
by making it easier to get a visa without providing intent
to return to Afghanistan.
And the third amendment would help Documented Dreamers,
dependent children who face deportation,
when they age out of eligibility for the dependent visa status.
The legislation is also similar to the America's Children Act,
and would essentially freeze
the child's age based on when their parents employment-based
green card application was initiated; Protect young adults
who have been dependents in the country for at least eight years by allowing them
to remain dependents after the age of 21 until they can adjust; and provide
employment authorization to children covered by age out protections.
According to estimates, this amendment
would help more than 200,000 young people avoid deportation.
The NDAA still needs to pass the Senate,
but it's something Congress tends to vote on without much scrutiny,
giving these immigration provisions the greatest chance of passing this year.
There is also precedent for including immigrant relief provisions in the NDAA
when the Liberian Refugee Immigrant Fairness Amendment passed in 2019.
So what do you think?
Will this amendment and the NDAA make it through the Senate?
And are they the only immigration legislation
with potential to pass this year?
Leave a comment and let me know.
And if you want to learn more about the upcoming
midterm elections in November and what they could mean for immigration
reform, I'll include a link to that video here.
I'll also continue to bring you additional immigration news.
So if you haven't yet done so, be sure to subscribe and turn on the notifications.
Click here to watch this video and I'll see you there.