In honor of National Police Week, House Republicans passed two new measures on Wednesday, one of which was directed at undocumented immigrants.
The Epoch Times reports that HR 2494 mandates automatic deportation of illegal aliens who assault police officers and HR 3091 permits retired federal law enforcement employees to purchase surplus weapons being sold by the federal government.
Democrats resisted both proposals, which was not unexpected, the publication said.
Republicans’ refusal to change HR 3091 to require background checks for officers wishing to acquire firearms and their accusations that HR 2494 would unfairly target those with what they believed to be legitimate asylum claims were the main reasons why Democrats opposed the bills, according to The Epoch Times.
“HR 3091 passed on a vote of 232 to 198, with 219 Republicans and 13 Democrats voting yes, and 198 Democrats and no Republicans voting against the measure. Three Republicans and two Democrats didn’t vote,” according to the Times.
Democrats criticized Republicans for extending HR 3091 to include discounted items for retired federal law enforcement officials to buy besides their service guns. Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) urged his party’s members to vote against the proposals due to what he dubbed the GOP’s “poison pill” amendments.
The Epoch Times added the following:
HR 3091 initially allowed retired federal law enforcement officers in good standing with their agencies to purchase their service weapons at fair market value. During debate, Nadler said a similar bill had been introduced during the 117th Congress.
He said that bill required that officers undergo a background before making their purchase, “Thereby transferring it from it service weapon to a weapon in the hands of a responsible gun owner who is trained to use it.”
Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) countered that not only have the officers been trusted with the weapons in their work, but the plan would help the government recoup part of its intial investment in the weapons instead of costing it $8 million to destroy the guns.
“Taxpayers are paying for these weapons twice,” Fry added, referring to the requirement that the government destroy the firearms.
The Republicans changed the legislation to allow all former federal law enforcement officials to buy firearms that have been designated surplus from the federal government at salvage value rather than fair market value.
The bills now head to the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, where their future is unknown.
The Biden administration was prevented from implementing a policy that would have allowed the release of migrants without setting court dates just hours before the expiration of the Title 42 public health order by a federal judge on Thursday, and the White House reacted angrily on Friday.
According to Fox News, Trump appointed Judge T. Kent Wetherell II issued a two-week injunction against President Joe Biden’s plan to release migrants on “parole with conditions.”
In cases where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) experiences overcrowding, migrants can be allowed entry into the United States on parole, a procedure typically reserved for cases involving urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, according to a memo recently released by the Border Patrol, the outlet reported. This procedure, sometimes known as “parole with conditions,” requires that migrants schedule a meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or ask for a Notice to Appear by postal mail.
“Under a parole release, migrants are rapidly released into the country, do not get an alien registration number and do not receive a court date,” Fox News pointed out.
Ashley Moody, the attorney general of Florida, initiated a suit to stop the policy’s adoption, claiming that it was basically identical to the “Parole + ATD” (Alternatives to Detention) policy that the same judge had earlier halted in March.
“…The Court has no trouble concluding that Florida has a substantial likelihood of success on the merits because the challenged policy appears to be materially indistinguishable from the Parole+ATD policy vacated in Florida.” Wetherell wrote in his ruling.
A little over a week ago, internal documents obtained by CBS News show that the Biden administration established a broad restriction on asylum that it intends to use to boost the speedy deportation of immigrants who enter the country through Mexico after the deadline for the Title 42 pandemic-era emergency provision.
Less than 48 hours before the termination of Title 42, the regulation was published, and hundreds of American asylum officials received enforcement training. The regulation’s finalization and the instructions sent to the asylum officers who will be putting it into effect were first covered by CBS News.
BREAKING: Biden breaks campaign promise, restores Trump immigration policy just one day before Title 42 expires as migrants prepare to storm the southern border.
"The Biden administration has finalized a sweeping restriction on asylum that it plans to use to ramp up swift… pic.twitter.com/YMay9swAmw
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 10, 2023
The rule represents the government going back to the border policy of the Trump administration and is likely to be challenged in federal court. If migrants do not apply for refugee status in another nation, such as Mexico, while coming to the southern border, they are ineligible for U.S. protection.
Due to recent record-breaking migrant arrival rates, this trend has recently grown more pronounced. These arrivals have taxed the already overburdened asylum system, inundated border neighborhoods, and turned Biden into an electoral risk as he prepares for his 2024 candidacy.
