Biden Commits To Give Pathway To Citizenship To Over 11 Million Illegal Aliens In His First 100 Days
Joe Biden, who was proclaimed by the media as the 46th US President, said on Tuesday that he will immediately move to provide American citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants across the country once he assumes the presidency in January.
During an interview with NBC News, the former Obama vice president said his plan is to give amnesty to the roughly 11 to 22 million illegal aliens residing in the US in his first 100 days in office — a move that will undo President Donald Trump’s policies on illegal immigration.
“I’m going to make a commitment in the first 100 days, I will send an immigration bill to the United States Senate with a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people in America,” the Democratic presidential candidate told NBC News.
Reports estimate that there are approximately 14.3 million illegal aliens residing within the United States as of 2019.
The former VP has always backed plans to provide citizenship to illegal immigrants in the US — a platform that he carried with him during the primaries and throughout his presidential campaign.
Tough stance on illegal immigration
Meanwhile, President Trump has implemented a tough stance on illegal immigration as part of his “America First” policy citing how illegal aliens in the country have been competing with American citizens on government resources.
“Illegal immigration affects the lives of all Americans. Illegal immigration hurts American workers; burdens American taxpayers; and undermines public safety; and places enormous strain on local schools, hospitals, and communities in general, taking precious resources away from the poorest Americans who need them most,” the incumbent Republican president earlier said.
He noted that illegal immigration also costs the US “billions and billions of dollars each year — which could have benefitted American citizens instead.
Breitbart reported that with the coronavirus wreaking havoc on the economy, about 24.5 million Americans are currently either jobless or underemployed, and all are seeking for full-time jobs as the business slowly reopens. Nonetheless, with Biden’s plan, these unemployed Americans will have more difficulty securing employment in a labor market with an “endless stream of foreign workers who secure visas and green cards” reaching as much as 2.5 million admissions annually.
This is in addition to the hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who also successfully cross the US borders or overstay their visas every year.
More refugees in the US under Biden
Aside from providing citizenship to illegal immigrants in the country, Biden has also earlier pledged to raise the number of refugees admitted to the US from 15,000 to 125,000 annually.
“I promise, as president, I will reclaim that proud legacy for our country. The Biden-Harris administration will restore America’s historic role in protecting the vulnerable and defending the rights of refugees everywhere and raising our annual refugee admission target to 125,000,” the former vice president said during the 40th anniversary of Jesuit Refugee Service.
This would mean an increase of more than 700% from the current level allowed just in his first year in office.
President Trump earlier put a brake on the number of refugees allowed to enter the US citing the need for the country to deal with its own “humanitarian and security crisis” along the southern border with Mexico, where tens of thousands of asylum-seekers from South America are also arriving each month.
The Federation of American Reform (FAIR) reported that illegal immigration likely imposed a net fiscal burden of at least US$131.9 billion annually on US taxpayers.
It said unsecured borders, the explosion of sanctuary jurisdictions refusing to cooperate with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the availability of jobs in the country, the increasing number of social welfare programs, and other benefits, given to illegal aliens, easily exploited asylum laws, and the on-going promise of amnesty by members of Congress — all cause the increasing numbers of illegal aliens in the country.
FAIR said unless the federal government takes meaningful action to eliminate the incentives that fuel illegal immigration, the total number of illegal aliens residing in the United States could surge to over 21 million by 2025, at a cost of nearly US$200 billion, annually.
