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Wednesday Immigration Bulletin: Mrs. Fetterman Goes To Washington

Added 2022-11-09 22:45:13 +0000 UTC

Election night defied dire warnings of a “red tsunami” with some notable wins and losses on the immigration beat.

In the Rio Grande Valley in Texas -- the epicenter of the border rhetoric that dominated midterm election politics -- Democrats prevailed in two of three races Senator Ted Cruz hoped to sweep as a statement piece about the border.

Instead, GOP superstar Mayra Flores, an immigrant from Mexico, lost her House race to low key incumbent Democrat Vicente Gonzalez. Democrat Henry Cuellar beat former Cruz staffer Casey Garcia.

The results are still coming in but most people still believe the GOP will keep the House … none more confident than Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who announced his candidacy for House Speaker.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise put in for Majority Leader this afternoon. Elections and new member orientations are busily being scheduled on Capitol Hill where members will return next week for the first time in six weeks.

While the Senate majority has yet to be determined, it’s safe to say that Democrats overperformed, so far … and that the screaming headlines and dire election forecasts predicting a filibuster proof majority for the Senate GOP were clearly exaggerated.

This was clear early in the evening on election night when incumbent Democratic Maggie Hassan defied forecasters by stomping her GOP opponent at the polls in her senate race in New Hampshire.

Republican Mehmet Oz conceded in the early morning hours, giving the Pennsylvania Senate race to John Fetterman. Democrat’s win in Keystone State win means the first ever formerly undocumented Senate spouse is headed to Washington.

Brazilian-born Gisele Barreto Fetterman told me that she and her husband would be strong immigrant rights supporters in the Senate. Of course, this will matter more when the new Congress begins in January.

For now, what’s most important to note is that in another wildly xenophobic election cycle, the Fetterman’s ran on immigrant pride … and won in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill...

While Congress was out campaigning in October, the committee chairs of jurisdiction have been working with their ranking members on this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The sprawling defense spending bill is said to be priority one for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer when senators return next week.

Readers of this bulletin may recall last month’s manager amendment in the Senate did not include age out protections for 200,000 documented dreamers.

This came as a blow to advocates for Improve The Dream who have launched one of the most diligent pro-immigrant advocacy efforts in recent memory on Capitol Hill.

The NDAA amendment was introduced last month by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) with five Senate GOP cosponsors: Rand Paul (KY), Roy Blunt (MO), Kevin Cramer (ND), Mike Rounds (SD), and Susan Collins (ME). Democratic Senators Dick Durbin (IL), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Chris Coons (MD), and Angus King (ME) also cosponsored the amendment.

In October, Improve The Dream sent a letter to Senators Schumer (NY), Mitch McConnell (KY), Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jack Reed (RI), and Ranking Member Jim Inhofe (OK), imploring them to include relief for documented dreamers in the final NDAA bill.

Inhofe told me before the recess that he did not support including immigrant relief amendments to NDAA, but offered no reason why. I asked the retiring senior senator from Oklahoma what had changed since two years ago when Liberian war refugees received a citizenship pathway through the defense bill.

“That’s what I can’t answer,” said Inhofe. I’ll ask him again when I see him.

Reed negotiated the Liberian green cards at the height of Donald Trump’s presidency, a political feat that has been a head-scratcher among immigration policy wonks ever since.

The senior senator from Rhode Island tells me that the Liberian relief effort worked because war refugees from the early 1990s now had become large populations of Liberians in certain states like Minnesota, where he was able to work with Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) to get others on board for the NDAA provision.

. . . so there is precedent for attaching immigrant relief provisions to NDAA. What remains to be seen is whether there will be the post-midterm will to move hard on immigration legislation before the next Congress.

If Republicans take the House as expected (or even the Senate … still a possibility at this point), the lame duck pressures to attach a range of policy items to must-pass bills like NDAA and the government funding package will quickly simmer and boil when the lawmakers return next week.

I’ll keep watching this space when Congress is back next week. Until then, let me know what you’re hearing in/from the Senate.