Democrats adopt platform of more chain migration, less enforcement & mass amnesty

The Democratic Party approved its Party Platform during its national convention this week, and while some Democrats complained that it didn’t go far enough in embracing a more open-borders agenda, there’s not much to like for supporters of reduced immigration.

THE BAD – Increased legal immigration, mass amnesty, and less enforcement

One line on the final page of the immigration section best sums up the Democratic Party position:

“Democrats believe in improving and 2016 Platform said about deportation:

“We should prioritize those who pose a threat to the safety of our communities.

That line, and anything like it, is missing from 2020, which means Democrats are no longer willing to offer explicit support for removing even the worst offenders. Instead, the Platform is a laundry list of ways Democrats would roll back enforcement.

Missing is any mention of E-Verify or worker authorization, or preventing visa overstays. In other words, the Democrats offer no plan for preventing future amnesties once they grant amnesty to the current illegal-alien population.

THE SLIGHTLY HOPEFUL

I can’t say there’s nothing hopeful in the 2020 Platform. Democrats do commit to going after unscrupulous employers, but it isn’t clear if that includes enforcing laws against those who hire illegal workers:

“e will hold employers accountable, promote workers’ rights, and prioritize the enforcement of labor and employment laws across the economy…”

There are a few bad recommendations that I expected to see that are notably omitted.

First, there is no direct call for increasing employment-based green cards. Joe Biden’s stated position calls for exempting foreign nationals with advanced degrees in STEM from existing caps. The Platform stops short of that, only saying: “We also support awarding visas for permanent, employment-based immigration in a way that is responsive to labor market needs.”

Perhaps union-oriented delegates pushed back against Biden’s promised gift to corporate lobbyists.

Second, the Platform does not call for an end to the 287(g) program that allows local law enforcement to voluntarily partner with federal immigration officers. It does say that Democrats will “end programs that force state and local law enforcement to also be responsible for immigration enforcement.” That seems to be more of an endorsement for sanctuary policies than an attack on 287(g).

DIFFERING POSITION STATEMENTS

The Democratic Party and its presidential nominee, Joe Biden, now have three different sets of policy positions on immigration – Biden’s stated positions, the Democratic Party Platform, and the Biden-Sanders Unity Plan.

The three statements agree on the broader issues – increasing legal immigration numbers, less enforcement, and mass amnesty. It’s the smaller, more nuanced issues where there appears to be some disagreement. But that’s understandable given the Democrats’ need to win over moderates, especially in swing states and districts.

The keys to watch for between now and November are:

• How swing-district Democrats defend the Party’s position of increased immigration and less enforcement, and
• How Biden addresses some of the areas of disagreement between the three policy statements when (and if) he’s pressed to do so.

CHRIS CHMIELENSKI is the Deputy Director for NumbersUSA