Tag: Snags

FIRST ON FOX: A bill to restore the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, introduced recently in the House, is racking up cosponsors as it becomes the latest immigration bill to pick up bipartisan support in the chamber.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, a freshman lawmaker, introduced the Remain in Mexico Act this month.

The bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, which were introduced during the first Trump administration and required migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases were heard, part of an effort to end the practice known as “catch and release.” The protocols were scrapped by the Biden administration, which argued they were cruel and ineffective. 

TRUMP’S REMAIN IN MEXICO POLICY COULD BE REVIVED UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP BILL 

Then-President Donald Trump, left, speaks with U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott as they participate in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, on June 23, 2020. (SAUL LOEB/AFP )

President Donald Trump has signed an order requiring the protocols to be restored, but codifying the policy in federal law would make it significantly harder for critics to then repeal it under a different administration.

However, with the bill now before Congress, it has already picked up over 100 cosponsors, Fox News Digital is told. That includes two Democrats, Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez, D-Wash., and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.

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“I am overwhelmed with gratitude that over one hundred of my colleagues have shown bipartisan support for my REMAIN in Mexico Act that codifies President Trump’s executive border action into law,” Gill said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

President Donald Trump made southern border security a top priority of his administration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci | Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“The tides are shifting under President Trump—Congress knows we must strengthen our national security, prevent fraudulent asylum claims, and put our citizens first,” he said.

TRUMP’S ICE RACKS UP HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR HORROR CRIMES

The bill is one of a number of pieces of immigration legislation that have been introduced, with increasing signs of support from Democrats after a year in which illegal immigration was a top issue for voters and resulted in Republicans controlling the House, Senate and White House.

On Wednesday evening, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of illegal immigrants accused of theft-related crimes. It had previously passed the Senate. In the House, 46 Democrats voted in favor of it.

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The House is expected to be active on illegal immigration, reflecting a flurry of orders coming from the White House. Those orders include declaring a national emergency at the border, sending troops to the border and canceling a slew of Biden-era parole programs.