New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez on Tuesday accused the Biden administration of ignoring immigrant communities and selling out to Republicans on border negotiations.
Menendez, who in September was indicted on bribery charges, has stepped away to an extent from the leadership role he played on immigration for decades.
But many in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and in immigrant communities are worried about Senate negotiations pairing aid to Ukraine with major reforms to asylum, deportation and border management laws.
“It is truly shameful that President Biden and his administration are considering selling out migrants and asylum-seekers in order to placate extreme Republicans who are jeopardizing our national security and that of our allies just to score a political point,” said Menendez.
“Instead of honoring requests to meet with House and Senate members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to strategize on a reasonable and effective path forward to address our challenges at the border, the White House ignored us — a slap in the face for the Latino and immigrant communities that we represent.”
The White House is taking a more active role in Senate negotiations, with chief of staff Jeff Zients reportedly joining talks led by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.).
Yet the majority of the CHC and immigration advocates are fundamentally opposed to the basic idea behind those talks, in which major, permanent immigration concessions are being traded for temporary funding for Ukraine.
“They have decided to capitulate to radical Republican demands that will result in permanent, dangerous and sweeping immigration policies that will only hurt vulnerable individuals fleeing violence and persecution,” said Menendez.
“These changes will do nothing to mitigate our challenges at the border and will only inject Stephen Miller-level cruelty and chaos into an already broken immigration system.”
Menendez’s voice has been dulled by the federal indictment, which alleges he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars to illicitly aid the Egyptian government. He stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pending his legal case, but he has refused to resign.
But many Hispanic advocates and strategists have been reluctant to fully turn their backs on Menendez, given his track record on advocacy on immigration and Western Hemisphere affairs.
He’s also been willing to stand up to Democratic presidents, including President Biden, and to propose immigrant community-friendly reforms.
At his weakest point politically, Menendez nonetheless delivered a scathing indictment of the Senate negotiations and the administration’s role in them.
“It is the height of absurdity that the Biden administration is putting forward, with a straight face, callous and inhumane changes to our immigration system that President Trump only could have dreamed of accomplishing,” he said.
“The Biden administration should not be willing to resurrect a Title 42-like border authority, expand the use of expedited removals from the interior of the country, and increase the detention of migrants without adjudicating their cases, all while effectively gutting our asylum system.”
And Menendez struck at Biden personally, making a reference to former President Obama’s moniker of “deporter in chief” — a nickname also bestowed by a fellow Democrat, former Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.).
“President Biden is embarking on a dangerous path that has the potential to cement his legacy in the annals of history as the Asylum Denier-in Chief — fundamentally destroying our asylum laws and turning his back on migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers for generations to come,” said Menendez.