Delaney Votes Against Another Partisan House Immigration Bill

Press Release

Today, Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6) voted against H.R. 6136 -- which overwhelmingly failed by a margin of 301-121 and was the second Republican attempt to make our currently broken immigration system even worse -- after voting against H.R. 4760 six days ago.

"In ways that are similar to the bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill that passed the Senate five years ago, we must find solutions that are reflective of our values, our humanity, and our economic and security needs," said Congressman Delaney. "Neither of these bills accomplishes any of those objectives, nor is a true compromise or comprehensive solution. The vast majority of Americans say immigration is good for the country and I wholeheartedly agree. It's time to get back to the table in a good-faith effort to create real reform."

H.R. 6136, the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act, is only a "compromise" within the Republican caucus. The bill was rushed to the floor, with no hearings or consultation with the other side of the aisle and does little to address the real challenges facing the immigration system. While it includes a provision to stop family separation, it also authorizes prolonged detention and eliminates all of the court-ordered requirements around conditions of confinement that are appropriate for children -- including protections governing the availability of toilets, clean drinking water, medical assistance, and temperature control. It essentially allows for children to be held in prison-like conditions indefinitely, instead of being released from detention as soon as possible. Further, it severely limits the DACA population eligible for a pathway to citizenship, limits access to relief for asylum seekers, and cuts other legal immigration pathways, including abandoning almost three million approved, family-based applications in the pipeline.

Last week, H.R. 4760, the Securing America's Future Act, failed in every measurable way to positively impact the immigration system. It provided no path to citizenship for DACA recipients, similarly limited access to relief for asylum seekers, did not offer any changes to President Trump's family separation policy, and was an even more dramatic cut to other legal immigration pathways.

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