- Sen. Elizabeth Warren plans to remove most illegal immigrant detention centers under her new Immigration Reform Plan.
- Those that cross the border illegally will not be treated as criminals but like those that have broken civil law.
- Law enforcement would no longer be in charge of dealing with illegal immigrants under Warren’s plan.
- Sen. Warren currently has +800 betting odds to win the 2020 Presidential election.
BOSTON – Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democratic candidate for the 2020 Presidential Election has proposed a new plan to the public regarding immigration reform. Fellow nominee, Julian Castro spoke of a similar idea in May. Under Castro’s proposal, undocumented people that are living in the United States would not be jailed and sent back to their respective countries. Instead, they’d be given something along the lines of a traffic citation for the offense. Warren backed Castro’s plan back in June, however, she has now come up with a plan of her own on the matter.
Warren’s Immigration Reform Plan
Warren’s plan hopes to shift law enforcement’s efforts towards actual criminal activities rather than dealing with illegal immigrants. While those that enter the country unlawfully have violated the laws of civil immigration, they shouldn’t be held as criminal violators. In her new reform plan, all illegal immigrant issues would be treated through civil outlets, not criminal ones.
“We should repeal this criminal prohibition to prevent future abuse. As president, I will immediately issue guidance to end criminal prosecutions for simple administrative immigration violations; end Operation Streamline, which subjects migrants to mass prosecutions; and refocus our limited resources on actual criminals and real threats to the United States,” said Warren in her post on the Medium website.
In accordance with the shifting of law enforcement’s duties, the plan seeks to have all immigration violations be dealt with by immigration enforcement officers. The reasoning behind this is that Warren wants to protect illegal immigrants. If law enforcement is involved in their citizenship status, it is less likely that they will call them when actual crimes have been committed. In separating the two, illegal immigrants will be more inclined to call the police when they are a victim of a crime rather than fear they will find out their immigration status if they do so.
Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be reshaped and no longer have to deal with people that cross borders. Instead, they will be in charge of preventing material objects from coming into the country. Their main focus will be that of homeland security when it comes to border crossings. This includes cargo screenings and smuggling prevention. These efforts will require transparency in the prevention of any possible abuses in the future.
Putting An End To The Immigration Issues Of The Trump Era
Any illegal immigrant that has suffered under the Trump Administration would be given a full investigation of any and all abuses they endured at the hands of the current immigration laws.
“Let there be no ambiguity on this: if you are violating the basic rights of immigrants, now or in the future, a Warren administration will hold you accountable,” said Warren.
A reduction in detention centers would take place under Warren’s proposal. Any remaining centers would only house those that were a potential safety risk to the community. These centers will also be free of any solitary confinements and have medical care staff in house. Extra measures will be taken to protect women, families, and anyone that is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. All private detention centers will be banned permanently as no center should be profiting off of the immigrants that are suffering within the walls of such places.
All illegal immigrants would be given the right to dignified processes within the proposal. Rather than use detention centers, Warren would implement a plan similar to that of a parolee. Immigrants would be assigned caseworkers and access to free legal and social services to help them acclimate to their new lives in the United States. Like parole officers, caseworkers would be required to perform random checks on their clients and general observation.
Immigrant Rights
Rather than go to a regular court to plead their case, Warren hopes to create a separate set of courts to deal with immigration once she is elected into office. All expedited removals of individuals will cease and they will be given rights to due process.
“I’ll eliminate the use of expedited removal proceedings and guarantee hearings. I’ll call for creating a national-scale immigration public defender corps, and a Warren administration will provide access to counsel in immigration court,” said Warren.
The Muslim Ban enforced by President Trump will be eliminated, as all people are welcome in the United States. Families will be able to remain together rather than forced apart because the children are citizens while the parents are not. Currently, only 22,000 refugees a year are allowed into America. Warren’s plan will allow for 125,000 to enter the country during her first year in office. After that, she will extend that number to 175,000 people per year through the duration of her term.
All individuals seeking protection through asylum will be provided safe passage and are ensured swift processing to become legalized citizens.
“I’ll restore President Obama’s promise to extend asylum for those fleeing domestic or gang violence and affirm asylum protections for gender identity and sexual orientation-based asylum claims,” said Warren.
Warren wants to make becoming an American citizen easier for immigrants and welcome more legal immigration to the United States. By removing the complexities of the citizenship process, it will allow for more immigrants to apply for naturalization. Reuniting families by using unused visas in countries that have met their caps is another change that would be made under this new immigration reform plan.
In short, Warren’s plan wants to welcome immigrants to the United States and provide as much as possible for them to remain here while trying to become citizens. The proposal wants to help all people that are crossing the borders and aid them with their transition into the United States. If she beats the elections odds and is successful, immigration reform is at the top of her list beginning on her first day in office.