That’s what happened earlier in June when protests triggered unrest in parts of Los Angeles.
Plenty, though, remains unclear about the legislation.
“One thing about this bill, these sections are super vague,” said Adam Isacson, a researcher with the Washington-based human rights advocacy organization WOLA, including multibillion-dollar expenditures sometimes explained in just a few vague lines. “There’s no real specificity in the bill about how it’s going to be spent.”
Here’s a look at some key immigration sections of the 1,000-page bill, as approved by the House, and what it could mean for the U.S. government’s posture on immigration:
But, experts note that though illegal crossings are down now, that can change rapidly.
The standards in adult facilities, the bill notes, would be set at “the sole discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security.”
More than $12 billion was also requested for 18,000 new ICE and Border Patrol personnel.
WHAT THE BILL SAYS: The legislation sets aside $1.25 billion for the immigration court system, with funds to hire more immigration judges and support staff and to expand courtroom capacity. The courts’ annual budget currently stands at roughly $850 million.
THE IMPACT: The immigration court system, which has roughly 700 judges, has struggled for years with chronic understaffing and a backlog that has reached more than 3.6 million cases. Judges typically take more than five years to make decisions.
The proposed funding would be “a significant increase, and from an institutional perspective it’s urgently needed money,” said Greg Chen, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
But he also believes the rising numbers of courthouse arrests reflect an administration looking for ways to bypass immigration courts.
Applying for asylum, which has long been free, will now cost $1,000, with asylum-seekers paying another $550 for employment applications. Among other fee increases, appealing an immigration judge decision jumps from $110 to $900 and applying for temporary protected status, which allows people from certain countries facing civil unrest or natural disasters to stay temporarily in the U.S., goes from $50 to $500.
THE IMPACT: For wealthier immigrants, the new fees will be an inconvenience. But for the vast majority of people even a few hundred dollars could be enough to make them change their plans.
