Immigration Reform News 2014: Billionaires Blame House Republicans for Failing to Fix Immigration Crisis
Some of the world's wealthiest men are pushing Congress to end its gridlock and do something to combat the ongoing immigration crisis in our country.
On Thursday, Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates published an op-ed in The New York Times, criticizing House Republicans for failing to pass legislation addressing the immigration issue.
"Whatever the precise provisions of a law, it's time for the House to draft and pass a bill that reflects both our country's humanity and its self-interest," the billionaire trio wrote.
"A Congress that does nothing about these problems is extending an irrational policy by default; that is, if lawmakers don't act to change it, it stays the way it is, irrational," they wrote. "The current stalemate -- in which greater pride is attached to thwarting the opposition than to advancing the nation's interests -- is depressing to most Americans and virtually all of its business managers. The impasse certainly depresses the three of us."
In the meantime, the White House is receiving pressure from both Republicans and immigrant rights advocates to address the immigration crisis on the U.S. border with Mexico.
Over the past few weeks, an influx of undocumented children, mostly from Central America, has been caught trying to sneak into the country through the Southwest border.
Over 52,000 children and teenagers have been caught crossing the Southwest border illegally since October, nearly twice as many as were caught last year, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In response to the crisis, Republicans have called on President Barack Obama to quickly deport the truckloads of children being rounded up by Border Patrol each day. However, according to a law passed in 2008 to protect sex trafficking victims, each child must undergo an immigration hearing before they can be deported, a process that usually takes two years. As a result, the government must house the children before they can be sent back to their native countries to prevent minors from being sent home and forced into the sex trade. The law applies to youth who migrate to the country from anywhere other than Mexico or Canada.
Although the White House initially backed Republican demands for speedier deportations, administration officials left that aspect out of their proposal because of backlash from immigrant advocates.
Republicans are also pushing to give the government authority to quickly remove Central American children unless they convince Border Patrol that they deserve asylum. However, advocates have strongly objected this idea, arguing that kids would be denied legal protections.
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