A key section of President Biden's Build Back Better plan regarding immigration has passed preliminary review by the Senate Parliamentarian. The Parliamentarian, who is the arbitrator of Senate procedure and rules, previously denied two attempts by Democrats to include a measure in the plan that would provide a way to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, on the basis that the measure did not follow Senate guidelines of what could be included in a budgetary plan. The newest version of the Build Back Better plan, which passed the House of Representatives in November, has changed the wording from citizenship to parole; parole status would allow many immigrants to apply for work permits and be safe from deportation for up to ten years. Now that the measure has passed initial review, it will go to a formal debate and review before the Parliamentarian makes their final decision on whether the measure can be included in the bill.
Source: Axios, Bloomberg Government
https://www.axios.com/democrats-sign-parliamentarian-immigration-b3a46118-0bec-4340-b73b-fad0a9933646.html
https://about.bgov.com/news/immigrant-protections-in-democrats-plan-inch-forward-in-senate/
The states of Colorado and California have passed laws which prohibit the use of the terms 'alien' and 'illegal' when discussing undocumented immigrants. Lawmakers in support of the new laws decried the outdated terminology, calling it derogatory, dehumanizing, and offensive. Acceptable terms for use include 'undocumented', 'noncitizen', and 'migrant'. A similar change was made by the Biden administration on the federal level, affecting U.S. Customs and Border Protection. At least five other states, including Texas, considered similar legislation, but did not put the change into law. Opponents of the legislation claim that the change in terminology is a waste of time and energy better spent elsewhere, and that many Americans would not care about the terms used. The lawmakers behind the bill disagree, however: “That language has been offensive for many people,” said Julie Gonzales, a state senator of Colorado. “And some of the rationale behind that is really rooted in this idea that a person can certainly commit an illegal act, but no human being themselves is illegal.”
Source: Sentinel Colorado
https://sentinelcolorado.com/0trending/amid-immigration-debate-colorado-california-update-migrant-term/