US House Passes Dreamers, Farmworker Legalization

Growing numbers of asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors are arriving along the US Mexico border

prompting the Biden administration to offer assurances

that the nation's often dysfunctional immigration system is under control.

The vast majority of people vast vast majority

who come to the border are turned away.

The border is not open.

These are very limited scenarios.

Congressional republicans say Biden's campaign

promise to legalize 11 million undocumented immigrants already in this country

is encouraging more people to come.

That's why you put your whole family together and make this trek.

Because you just listened to what president Biden said.

The number of migrants crossing into the US is rising

according to the Department of Homeland security.

The senate's top republican calls these numbers a crisis.

It's a security crisis as well.

New reporting suggests multiple people arrested at the border in recent months

have matched to names on the FBI's terrorist watch list.

Migrants now crossing the border would not be impacted by legislation

if it passes Congress,

but the initiative could alter the politics of immigration in Washington.

It gives those who are opposed to immigration changes hook to hang on

and to be criticizing the administration

so it really narrows or complicates the political space

that's there for the Biden administration to move on these legislative proposals.

House Democrats passed two narrower proposals Thursday

that would legalize some foreign-born farm workers

as well as the so-called dreamers.

Undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children.

If we ever close the door to new Americans

our leadership in the world would be lost.

It's always been a pleasure for me to sing the praises of our dreamers.

They make us so proud.

A strategy meant to win republican votes in a US senate narrowly controlled by democrats.

Those are populations that have been appealing across the board

and there's very strong public support particularly for the daca population

which would be the dream promise act,

but it's also the case that they are limited populations.

If those bills become law up to 2 million dreamers would be put on a path to US citizenship.

Catherine Gibson voa news Washington