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Macon, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) Attorney J Davis from James W. Davis and Associates joins 41NBCs Shelby Coates for our weekly segment Its the Law.

President Joe Biden is appointing Vice President Kamala Harris to lead efforts to reduce migration across the U.S./Mexico border.

At the same time, the U.S. House has approved two immigration related bills.

Davis takes a look at both bills and their impact. The first bill is the American Dream and Promise Act which focuses on a path to citizenship. The second measure is the Farm Workforce Modernization Act which focuses on allowing farmers to earn temporary status.

Shelby Coates is an evening anchor/producer at 41NBC News. She anchors the 5, 5:30, and 6 evening newscasts. She also works behind the scenes producing the 5:00pm and managing newsroom assignments. She returns to 41NBC after working in Evansville, Indiana as the Morning/Noon Anchor and Executive Producer for WEVV. Shelby also spent time in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she spent three years anchoring and producing the weekend morning newscasts at WSPA-TV. She also worked as a general assignment reporter, receiving several honors for her investigative and consumer reporting. Shelby has spent time working as a news anchor/reporter in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Macon, Georgia; and Abilene, Texas. Shelby is a native of Clarksville, Tennessee. She graduated from Abilene Christian University in Texas with a bachelors degree in Broadcast Journalism and Mass Communication and a minor in sociology. Shelby has a passion for empowering local communities, church ministry, public speaking, strengthening women and mentoring young people.

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It's the Law: Immigration reform bills - 41 NBC News

Congressman Joaquin Castro led a Democratic delegation on a tour of a temporary shelter for migrant children in Carrizo Springs Friday. It is one of at least eight temporary facilities in Texas opened or announced by the Biden administration to house a large number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the border. TPRs Maria Mendez spoke with him after the tour.

The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Mendez: Could you tell me why you decided to go to Carrizo Springs today?

Castro: Our congressional delegation went to Carrizo Springs because we wanted to make sure that these kids these unaccompanied minors are being treated humanely and respectfully and with dignity. And so this was the first "influx shelter" that was opened during the Biden administration. And we're also going there to try to get a better understanding of how we can fix this broken system, and what recommendations we can make to the president and the executive branch, and how we can work with them on improving the system.

Mendez: Can you tell me what you saw and what the conditions were? Were they as troublesome as some of the reports that we've heard?

Castro: Well, the conditions in these places are always spartan. And there were about 800 or 900 kids today that were in the facility. These facilities are in a lot better condition than the CBP processing centers. And that's where we often see the pictures of people sleeping with what look like aluminum blankets, and they're in cramped conditions, in holding cells that look like jails. This facility looks different than that.

Mendez: And was there social distancing?

Castro: Yeah, there was social distancing that was being practiced. There were educational services that were being provided. There's people that are working there that as far as we could tell were doing their best to try to take care of these kids. But it's not the best environment for that. It's not the place they should be. What the administration needs to focus on is building out the capacity of the asylum system to move people as quickly as possible, from when they present themselves for asylum at the border, to their family sponsors who can take care of them while they wait for their claim to be processed.

Mendez: And you've been in Congress for a while now, and so you've seen the seasonal increase in migration before. How does this compare to what you've seen under past administrations?

Castro: Well, in terms of the numbers, it's comparable to what we saw in 2019. And the increases tend to be cyclical. Now, part of the difference here is that the Trump administration did everything it could to damage the system for the infrastructure for processing and settling asylum seekers. So they reduce the capacity that we have to hold kids in a humane setting. And so that's part of the reason that you see now more than ever, the CBP facilities just overrun with kids, because it's harder to send them places. Because Donald Trump essentially let a lot of that infrastructure go.

Mendez: Biden, yesterday, in his White House press conference, said that he is working on building up capacity to house migrant children. Do you think he could have moved quicker on that? Should he have started doing that, you know, maybe early in February, than when he did start?

Castro: I know that the Biden transition team, I think it recommended to the Trump administration that they do something about increasing capacity. As we started to see the flows of folks increase. Unfortunately, the Trump administration was not very cooperative. And so look, this administration inherited a very tough problem with a political party and the Republican Party that always tries to use immigration, and asylum as a wedge issue, to try to convince Americans that there's a bunch of brown people coming in here to hurt them. And so, you know, it's it, they're in a tough spot. And so we're going to try to do everything we can to work with the administration to treat these kids right, but also to fix this problem.

Mendez: And what are your thoughts on some of the terminology that we've seen, you know, particularly from Republicans about this being another border crisis? Do you agree with that assessment?

Castro: I think the conditions that these folks are fleeing certainly constitutes a crisis. I'm not going to fault anyone for calling this a humanitarian crisis. It's a very deep humanitarian challenge. But if they mean that it's a crisis in the sense that these people are all terrorists coming here to harm all of us as Americans I think a lot of them, that's exactly what they're trying to imply then, no, I think it's just politics at that point.

Mendez: And do you think there are ways to sift through some of that rhetoric? A lot of people have already started pointing out that it seems like history is repeating itself in terms of Biden trying to work on broader immigration reform and the situation at the border already prompting some Republicans to say that they're concerned about immigration reform, due to what's happening on the border.

Castro: Well, look, there's a group of Republicans who are going to use the issue of immigration to try to stop immigration reform, to try to convince the American people that it's too scary to do immigration reform. And so that's kind of to be expected at this point. You know, they've done it for years. They've done it for a generation at least, and they're going to do it again. And we just have to work through that. I hope that bills like the U.S. Citizenship Act, DREAM and TPS Act, the Farm Work Force Modernization Act I hope that these bills can ultimately be bipartisan, truly bipartisan in the Senate, but that remains to be seen.

Mendez: Do you think there has been some sort of progress? Because, on one hand, for example, we have seen Sen. Cornyn say that he supports Dreamers or DACA recipients. Do you think that that's maybe a sign of progress and possibility for that type of reforms?

Castro: No. I mean, look, the issue with Sen. Cornyn, I appreciate his words. But that's mostly what they did over the years, is words. And when it comes down to it, Sen. Cornyn has not acted on a DREAM Act. Now, he could support a clean DREAM Act bill that's going to be coming to him shortly in the Senate, and if he supports that piece of legislation, then he should sign his name as a cosponsor to the bill. He has every opportunity to do that. It's time that we move past words and action.

Mendez: I also wanted to ask you about Biden's comments yesterday. He said that he will continue accepting migrant children, despite some of the challenges in housing them at the moment. But he said that most families he actually said all families should be turned away. What do you make of those comments? And do you agree with that policy?

Castro: I know that the Biden ministration has been accepting only unaccompanied minors, and otherwise continuing to expel asylum seekers under Title 42 because of the public health exception. The administration needs to work as quickly as possible so that it will be in a position to fully honor international and U.S. law and discontinue expelling people under Title 42. The nation is on the brink of coming out of the pandemic. It looks like we got to be careful for the variants, for any surges, of course. But, you know, as we expect that the country, as the president said, by the end of May every adult American over the age of 18 will have the opportunity to take COVID-19 vaccine at that point, then they need to build up a capacity to deal with these folks in a humane way, and to discontinue expelling people under Title 42.

Mendez: Well, thank you for your time.

Castro: Yeah, absolutely. Take care.

TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.

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'It's Not The Place They Should Be': U.S. Rep. Castro Discusses Visit To Carrizo Springs And Immigration Reform - Texas Public Radio

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Taking heat from everyone from the President of Mexico to border state Democrats for the humanitarian, health, and national security border crisis his administration has triggered in just two months, President Biden has thrown one architect of the mess, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas under the bus, and tasked another architect of the mess, Vice President Kamala Harris, with fixing it.

"Today's move by President Biden is like pulling Inspector Clouseau off the case and replacing him with Lieutenant Drebin," quipped Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "Like Secretary Mayorkas, Vice President Harris has a long record of open hostility toward controlling our borders and enforcing our immigration laws."

Given the vice president's track record of encouraging illegal immigration and disparaging immigration enforcement agencies, President Biden's announcement that she will lead the effort to restore order would be comical if it were not so serious. "I have asked her, the VP, today, because she is the most qualified person to do it, to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border," Biden said, apparently without irony.

"President Biden's memory may be a bit faulty, but the rest of us remember that we actually had agreements with Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries that were helping us stem mass migration. He tore them up!" Stein charged. "He also halted construction of the border wall and scrapped numerous other policies put in place by his predecessor that discouraged people from abusing our political asylum process and from putting their kids into the hands of criminal cartels that smuggle them across the border. Until President Biden and Vice President Harris are prepared to restore the policies they blew up, the crisis will continue no matter who's making the photo ops at the border," concluded Stein.

Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 or [emailprotected]

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

http://www.fairus.org

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Biden Taps Harris, a Staunch Foe of Immigration Enforcement, to Deal with the Border Crisis He Denies Even Exists, Says FAIR - PRNewswire

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) Several groups are calling on Joe Biden to invest more federal dollars to deal with the migrant surge on the southern border.

That money should be used to immediately hire more immigration judges and shore up border infrastructure. That includes expanding temporary holding facilities and child shelters, as well as modernizing border security through technology. That, in turn, will free border agents to deal with this or future challenges, participants in a Border Solutions Roundtable said this week.

The groups are also calling on Biden to involve the governments of Mexico and Northern Triangle countries of Central America in addressing internal crises that make so many people leave their homes and seek and end to persecution or a better way of life in the United States.

I really think solutions have to begin south of the border, said Danilo Zak, senior policy and advocacy associate at the National Immigration Forum. That [] really represents the only path toward an ideal scenario where children, families and other migrants are safe and secure in their own country (with) no need to flee or migrate irregularly in the first place.

Analysts and advocates say the U.S. should help Central American nations address the root causes of migration like insecurity and poverty and provide a reliable structure for people there to apply for asylum remotely, without putting their lives and those of their children in jeopardy by making a dangerous trip through Mexico.

We should do more to combat cartels and smugglers. Part of that is engaging in a more effective messaging campaign to dispel some of the fiction sold by these cartels to desperate migrants, Zak said. And thats not just dont come, but to inform them about asylum laws and the immigration system to dispel misinformation by the smugglers.

But while that happens, the Biden administration must make immediate changes to the way it deals with the thousands of family units and single adults that are showing up at the border, they say.

The problem with the border right now is not that so many people want to come here, but solely that people are coming illegally and when they do come Border Patrol treats them inhumanely by caging them or dumping them in destitute and dangerous cities in Mexico, said David J. Bier, senior policy analyst at the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy research organization.

Bier suggests the federal government apply the same standard to would-be refugees today as it did to Cuban emigres who showed up to ports of entry prior to 2017.

The government should grant asylum immediately at the border to as many applicants as possible. It should grant the rest parole status and admit them to pursue their applications, Bier said. This would end the illegality and inhumane treatment. Perhaps more people would come but if they crossed legally this wouldnt be a problem any more than the millions of legal crossers that we (process) each week.

Bier says refugee admission policies are behind the steep rise in unaccompanied minors coming across the border.

We will accept 100 percent of them but only if they cross illegally. If they seek asylum at ports of entry, nearly all will be refused entry. This approach means that nearly all kids are being forced into the hands of smugglers, he says. If they are with their parents, in many cases theyre expelled to Mexico. So, many parents are sending their kids alone and trying to sneak in behind them, leading to repeated attempts over and over by parents to reunite with their kids.

The migrants wouldnt have to resort to smugglers if, for instance, theyre given Temporary Protected Status on account of hurricanes that struck the Northern Triangle late last year and devastated communities and farms.

And Biden should boost the H2-B visa cap for temporary workers, he said, because despite the pandemic millions of job openings exist in certain industries.

Monica Weisberg-Stewart, chair of the Texas Border Coalition, said border security issues must also be addressed or else the Mexican drug cartels will continue to exploit women and children, smuggle drugs and inflict pain on our American way of life.

She said immigration reform, better equipped and staffed ports of entry and new asylum laws are a must.

Asylum laws need to be updated. The children traveling alone needs to be addressed. We believe keeping Title 42 on the border is essential given what is happening at the border currently, she said. Title 42 is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order allowing federal officials to immediately expel unauthorized migrants to prevent cross-border spread of COVID-19.

More immigration judges are needed to deal with the surge and Biden should engage border leaders and residents before making decisions that affect them, she said.

We are right here on the border. Our mayors are dealing with these issues every day, Weisberg-Stewart said.

She added border agents need to be allowed to do their jobs because theres a lot of mixed messages.

Visit theBorderReport.com homepagefor the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the United States-Mexico border.

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Groups urge Biden to hire more immigration judges and fight drug cartels - WNCT

National Review

Senator Mike Braun (R., Ind.) on Saturday said a Biden official asked a group of Republican senators who visited the southern border to delete photos they had taken of the overcrowded conditions at a migrant processing and holding center they toured one day earlier in Donna, Texas. There was one of Bidens representatives. I felt sorry for the lady because she actually talked to me about deleting a picture, but by the time she got to me, all those other pictures were taken, and that shows you the hypocrisy, Braun told the Washington Examiner. None of us would have gone down there if we were going to be muzzled, Braun said, adding that Border Patrol instructed them not to take photos, though they were telling us that because they had to. Braun visited the facility, which is at 700 percent capacity, with a group of 18 other Republican lawmakers. Photos reveal children sleeping on the ground on mats and migrants crowded into enclosed pods. The Indiana Republican told the paper that the group ran into so-called coyotes, who guide migrants across the border for money, during a stop at the edge of the Rio Grande with border agents. All of a sudden to hear from the other side of the river taunting from the smugglers and coyotes, most of it in Spanish, telling the border guards that whatever you do, were coming, Braun said. That kind of hit home in such an anecdotal way because it is one story that kind of is a metaphor for whats happening all up and down the border. After the visit, Braun wrote a letter to the president urging him to visit the border himself. The crisis surrounding this surge makes it a moral imperative for you to see firsthand what is happeningand not the sanitized version of the border tour taken by some of my congressional colleagues, Braun wrote. Having personally gone this week, I can testify to this being an inhumane, unsustainable and dangerous situation. The lawmakers visit comes amid a worsening crisis at the border as officials struggle to keep up with an influx of migrants especially unaccompanied minors at the border. As of Thursday, there were more than 18,000 unaccompanied minors in Border Protection and Health and Human Services custody. The increase has caused delays at processing centers that are required, by law, to transfer children to HHS shelters in under 72 hours.

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Immigration Reform - Crisis at the southern border - Yahoo News