immigration reform Archives

Migrant Backlog to Hit 8 Million by Fall

March 3, 2024 Buck Banks

8 million

“More than 8 million asylum seekers and other migrants will be living inside the U.S in legal limbo by the end of September — a roughly 167% increase in five years,” Axios reports. “That’s up from about 3 million in 2019 — a sign of how the underfunded and outdated U.S. immigration system can’t keep up with the rapidly growing migrant population driven by new border surges.”

GOP Bill Would Actually Cut Number of Highly Skilled Immigrants

January 18, 2018 Buck Banks

50%

President Trump and his Senate allies “are now presenting their goal for immigration reform as increasing the number of high-skilled immigrants allowed into the United States,” The Atlantic reports. “But by trumpeting high-skilled immigration, Trump, Cotton, and Perdue are also obscuring the most significant impact of their proposal: a 50 percent cut in legal immigration.”

Huge Majority Supports DACA

September 25, 2017 Buck Banks

86%

A new ABC News-Washington Post poll finds 86% of Americans support a right to residency for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, with support crossing the political spectrum. Two-thirds back a deal to enact such legislation in tandem with higher funding for border control.

Most Say Immigration is Good for the Country

September 6, 2017 Buck Banks

64%

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds 55% of respondents say they’re comfortable with the United States becoming more diverse and tolerant of different lifestyles, gender roles, languages, cultures and experiences. In addition, 64% believe immigration strengthens the country.

Trump’s Biggest Political Blow — So Far

January 30, 2017 Buck Banks

No matter what you think about this policy, it’s going to make life harder for Trump. First, it’s Trump’s biggest political blow since taking office. There are already a spate of legal challenges that will grab headlines for weeks. It’s splitting his party — only a handful of Republicans have spoken out against him but privately, a large number of GOP lawmakers are grumbling. If congressional Republicans were for this policy, they could pass legislation to codify it into law. They haven’t and probably won’t. They had no heads up from their president this was coming, and now they’re under pressure to defend this.

— Playbook

More Americans Want Trump to Focus on Healthcare First

November 18, 2016 Buck Banks

21%

Of Americans want Trump to focus on the healthcare system during his first 100 days in the White House, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Jobs took second place with 16% of Americans hoping it would be Trump’s first agenda item, while immigration came third – picked by 14% of Americans.

Majority Say Immigrants Are Not a Problem

August 26, 2016 Buck Banks

71%

Of respondents to a new Pew Research Center poll say undocumented immigrants living in the United States mostly fill jobs citizens do not want, while just 24% say they mostly take jobs citizens want. About three-quarters of Americans (76%) say undocumented immigrants are “as honest and hard-working” as U.S. citizens, while 67% say they are no more likely than U.S. citizens to commit serious crimes.

It’s ‘Extreme’ Alright

August 16, 2016 Buck Banks

Migrants are responsible for beheadings,
Rape, pillage, murder and blood-letting.
So to save our fair nation
From foul criminal immigration,
Donald Trump wants to implement “extreme vetting.”

Majority of Americans Oppose Trump’s Immigration Policies

July 22, 2016 Buck Banks

84%

Of Americans and 76% of Republicans favor “allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally the chance to become U.S. citizens if they meet certain requirements over a period of time,” according to Gallup. And 66% of Americans oppose “building a wall along the entire U.S.-Mexico border,” and the same number oppose “deporting all immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally.”

McCaskill: Rubio ‘Broke Down Like a Cheap Shotgun’ Over Immigration

December 11, 2015 Buck Banks

I watched him find that sweet spot of compromise on immigration reform, but then he broke down like a cheap shotgun the minute the right started chewing on his rear end.

8 million

50%

86%

64%

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds 55% of respondents say they’re comfortable with the United States becoming more diverse and tolerant of different lifestyles, gender roles, languages, cultures and experiences. In addition, 64% believe immigration strengthens the country.

— Playbook

21%

Of Americans want Trump to focus on the healthcare system during his first 100 days in the White House, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Jobs took second place with 16% of Americans hoping it would be Trump’s first agenda item, while immigration came third – picked by 14% of Americans.

71%

84%

I watched him find that sweet spot of compromise on immigration reform, but then he broke down like a cheap shotgun the minute the right started chewing on his rear end.

— Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), quoted by Politico, on how Sen. Marco Rubio backed away from his own immigration reform proposal.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), accusing Democrats of creating Hurricane Helene for political purposes.

“Liberty in Georgia includes in its meaning, in its protections, and in its bundle of rights the power of a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to it and in it, and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices.”

— Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney finding that Georgia’s six-week abortion law violates Georgia’s Constitution, reports the AP.

“Maybe we’ll pay off the $35 trillion US debt in crypto. I’ll write on a little piece of paper ‘$35 trillion crypto we have no debt.’ That’s what I like.”

— Donald Trump, floating a plan to address the federal budget deficit and demonstrating his deep understanding of the crypto marketplace.

“To my friends in Nebraska, that one electoral vote could be the difference between Harris being president and not, and she’s a disaster for Nebraska and the world.”

— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by Politico, on his trip to Nebraska to push for the state’s Republican leadership to change how it awards its electoral votes.

“I will if he does. That’s a trade-off I’d do.”

— George Clooney, on Jimmy Kimmel Live, responding to Donald Trump’s call for him “to get out of politics.”

Numerati

254,000

“The pace of hiring picked up strongly in September and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%, signs the economy had continued momentum in a month the Federal Reserve delivered its first interest-rate cut in four years,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

49% to 44%

A new Susquehanna poll finds Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump nationally among likely voters, 49% to 44%.

40 trillion

$55 million

Kamala Harris raised about $55 million in high-dollar events in California this weekend, a haul that pads her financial advantage over Donald Trump, Bloomberg reports.

57%

A new NBC News poll finds about 57% of voters report feeling negatively about Project 2025, with 51% saying they see the proposal “very” negatively and another 7% saying they view it “somewhat” negatively. Just 4% of voters reported viewing the conservative policy plan positively.