Washington, DC – Beto O’Rourke, candidate for the Democratic presidential candidacy for the 2020 elections, presented his immigration plan on Wednesday, which provides an “immediate” way to grant citizenship to “dreamers” and beneficiaries of the Status. of Temporary Protection (TPS).
The Democratic candidate’s program would grant citizenship to 11 million undocumented immigrants “in a more efficient manner” and prioritize the reunification of separated families, his campaign team said in a statement.
“This innovative plan outperforms a whole generation of inaction to finally rewrite our immigration laws according to our own image,” O’Rourke said.
Among his commitments, the former congressman for the state of Texas said that from the first day of his hypothetical Presidency will try to “end the cruel and cynical policies that create chaos” in the borders and communities.
“Originally from a city of immigrants (El Paso, Texas), I have seen the incredible contributions of immigrants to our communities and local economies,” their campaign said in the statement.
The project promises to reunite the families of immigrants who have been separated by the delays in the granting of visas, since “the family unit will be a priority” for their Administration.
With his program, O’Rourke would nullify the policy carried out by the administration of the president, Donald Trump, to return asylum seekers on the southern border to Mexico while waiting for their claims to be managed.
According to the campaign, the initiative would increase the number of staff in the asylum system, with up to 2,000 more lawyers at the border.
It would also reactivate the Central American Children’s Program, which would allow minors whose parents live in the country to apply for refugee status from their places of origin.
“Finally, O’Rourke’s plan would strengthen our collaboration with the neighbors of the Western Hemisphere,” the campaign advanced.
“We must focus on supporting democracy and human rights,” he explained, “and on working to reduce violence, because the only way to have regional security is through a more democratic and prosperous Latin America.”
Last week another Democratic challenger, Julián Castro, announced his immigration plan, which would modify the type of crime associated with illegal border crossing, which is now considered a criminal act.
“For a long time in this country, in fact, crossing the border was not considered a criminal act, it was treated as a civil offense,” Castro explained.
The TPS was created in 1990 and through it grants permits in an extraordinary way to nationals of countries affected by armed conflicts or natural disasters.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program protects its beneficiaries, known as “dreamers”, from deportation.
The Administration of Donald Trump has tried to end both immigration protections but several courts have failed against these attempts. (EFEUSA)
