Not enough diversity in the reform bill
Via The Hill
A dozen House Democrats have not co-sponsored the immigration reform bill that their leaders are pushing for.
All but 12 Democrats in the lower chamber have co-sponsored H.R. 15, a similar bill to the bipartisan immigration measure that passed the Senate last year.
The House bill’s elimination of the diversity visa program, which awards roughly 50,000 visas annually to immigrants from countries underrepresented in the U.S, has drawn criticism from members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), a CBC member, won’t sign on to the bill because of these provisions, spokeswoman Stephanie Baez told The Hill.
Donald Payne (D-N.J.), another CBC member who is not a co-sponsor, said he supports the legislation. But he doesn’t think it’s comprehensive enough, especially in regards to diversity visas.
Many of the diversity visa recipients emigrate from African or Caribbean countries.
“We want to be sure that this nation is not one that doesn’t continue to welcome people of African descent and that it is comparable to what we do for others coming from around the world,” CBC Rep. Yvette Clarke said to Public Radio International last year.
Clarke’s office did not respond to requests for comment. Clarke is one of the 12 holdouts.
The Senate bill and its House companion differ slightly, most notably in the area of border security. In order to get Republicans on board, the Senate bill had a last minute addition called the Corker-Hoeven amendment. This “border surge” amendment calls for $38 billion in additional spending allocated towards the border, as well as mandatory quotas for infrastructure, personnel and security technology. Critics viewed this as a “militarization” of the border area.