TWO VIEWS
“Some in the House Republican Caucus are using the situation with unaccompanied children as their newest excuse to do nothing. … Their argument seems to be that because the system is broken, we shouldn’t make an effort to fix it.”
“This is a failure of diplomacy. It is a failure of leadership from the administration.”
President Barack Obama is holding off for now on seeking new legal authority to speed up the deportation of unaccompanied migrant children following criticism that the administration’s planned changes were too harsh.
When Obama formally asks Congress for more than $2 billion in emergency spending today to deal with the border crisis, he will not include a request for the policy changes the White House had indicated he planned to seek, according to two congressional aides.
The aides spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the matter by name ahead of the announcement.
White House officials said they still intend to pursue additional authorities to speed the return of the children who have been arriving by the thousands on the southern border, mostly from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. But for now the White House request will focus on allocating additional money for immigration judges, detention facilities, legal aid and other items that could address the situation, which the administration has termed a humanitarian crisis.
The new approach comes after the White House told Congress last week that it would seek “additional authority” for the Homeland Security secretary to quickly deport the minors. Immigration advocates said they understood that under the request, the children — who currently have the right to a hearing before an immigration judge — would instead be subjected to an an initial screening by a Border Patrol agent.
The advocates responded angrily, with more than 200 groups signing onto a letter last week calling on Obama to reconsider the changes. Opponents of the change staged a protest Monday in front of the White House.
“It would take away their right to council, right to proper screening. … It would undermine completely due process,” said Leslie Holman, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Some congressional Democrats also voiced concerns.
Now the White House will spend more time developing the proposals, along with plans to increase penalties on smugglers who guide migrants in their illegal border crossings.
The developments underscore the delicate position the administration finds itself in as it risks alienating allies by pursuing changes to turn the migrant children around more quickly. More than 50,000 have arrived since October, in many cases fleeing violence at home but also drawn by rumors that they would be allowed to stay in the U.S.
Congressional Republicans blame Obama policies for the confusion — an assertion the administration disputes.
The controversy will likely dog Obama this week as he travels to Texas, primarily to raise money for Democratic congressional candidates. White House press secretary Josh Earnest reiterated Monday that Obama had no plans to visit the border during the trip, drawing renewed criticism from Republicans.
“President Obama needs a wakeup call — and visiting the border and seeing firsthand the severity of this ongoing crisis is that wakeup call,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in remarks on the Senate floor.
Earnest said expect that many of the children arriving at the border will not be able to stay in the U.S.
“It’s unlikely that most of these kids will qualify for humanitarian relief,” Earnest said. “It means they will not have a legal basis for remaining in this country and will be returned.”
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