Menendez referred to repeated attempts and failures to carry out major reforms.
“We have compromised too much and capitulated too quickly for voices that have refused to accept the humanity and contributions of immigrants to our country,” he said.
In drafting a comprehensive immigration bill early in his presidency, Biden wants to avoid what many Democrats see as a missed opportunity by former president. Barack Obama considered addressing the issue. As designed, the bill is widely praised by progressives and immigrant rights groups. But it is unlikely to gain Republican support.
Although fellow citizens saw the bill as a historic step by the government to address an over-tax immigration system, few on and off the Hill thought it could pass a 50-50 Senate.
“This bill is not designed to be 60,” said a person close to the White House who was informed about the bill. “There’s no way to 60.”
White House officials would not say if Biden were considering passing on elements of immigration reform through a second budget reconciliation process later this year, or if they were already talking to lawmakers about smaller items. But they conceded that the end result could be very different.
“He has been in the Senate for 36 years and he is the first to tell you that the legislative process may look different on the other side of the place where it begins,” a White House official said Wednesday night in a call with reporters. . “He still thinks that is all that should be in the package, but is once again prepared to do something with Congress.”
Sources close to the White House have said for weeks that the government is open to approving targeted bills that could likely garner 60 votes.
“There are many avenues as well as tactics for the way an immigration bill can move forward,” one source close to the government said. “All options must be on the table.”
Biden said the same thing during a town hall meeting with CNN on Tuesday when he asked questions about immigration. “There are things I would handle on my own,” he said. “But not at the expense of saying I’ll never do the other one.”
Democrats have been debating for more than a month what to do if Biden’s extensive immigration lands on Capitol Hill. These talks have only intensified over the past few weeks as more Democrats have banded together around the idea of passing more targeted legislation, rather than putting legislative muscle behind a comprehensive bill that has little chance of becoming law.
House Democratic leaders have yet to make a final decision, but several lawmakers and senior assistants told POLITICO that they believe the chamber will first try to pass a bill that offers dreamers and immigrants from war-torn countries a path to citizenship. A handful of Republicans crossed party lines and supported the bill past Congress.
“I salute the president for presenting the legislation,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Thursday. “There are others who want to do it piece by piece, and that could be a good approach today. Congress needs to decide.”
The attempt is likely to take place the week of March 8 – the last time lawmakers will be in Washington to vote before a month’s work away from the committee and a two-week recess for Easter and Passover. House Democrats are also set a deadline of April 1 to act – to circumvent the committee’s action, the party needs to bring the immigration-related bills passed last year to the floor.
The immigration debate is illustrative of the delicate dance that Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer must navigate over the next two years: balancing the demands for comprehensive legislation from a narrow-minded liberal base and calling for a more moderate approach of brave centralists who see themselves as a check on the left.
The government’s chief adviser in the Senate, Menendez, is approaching the chasm and is opposed to a piece-by-piece strategy.
“There are parties in Congress of both parties who are arguing against reforming immigration,” Menendez said in a call to the press on Thursday. “Some still believe that the answer lies in blocking all legal channels of our immigration system until we get our house in order. Others say we must leave the bigger, more difficult questions for another day to pursue reforms now “nibbling at the edges and leaving millions of people behind. Personally, I can no longer disagree with both approaches.”
The White House has insisted that its larger bill come first to avoid the perception it is according to two people who have been informed about the legislation, abandoning a comprehensive approach. The White House also held a series of conference calls with immigration advocates in the days before the bill was announced, including those with progressive groups on Wednesday.