Immigrants Rights Groups Say U.S. Senate Bill 'Little More Than A Streamlined Deportation Process'

By Lauren Gilger
Published: Thursday, May 6, 2021 - 1:06pm
Updated: Thursday, May 6, 2021 - 1:12pm

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Immigrants at a facility in Donna, Texas
Michael Battise/U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Immigrants at a facility in Donna, Texas, on May 4, 2021.

Last month, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing what many are calling the crisis on our southern border. It’s called the “Bipartisan Border Solutions Act," and it includes a large investment in personnel and resources in the current system. 

The bill would create regional processing centers along the border to protect Arizona communities when migrant crossings spike. And it would invest resources in improving the asylum process, hoping to deter migrants who don’t have valid claims from coming in the first place. 

But many pro-immigrant rights groups have come out strongly against the bill. That includes the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, which has been advocating for immigrants in southern Arizona for decades. They called the proposal “little more than a streamlined deportation process.” 

The Show spoke with Florence Project advocacy attorney Laura Belous about it. 

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