Byron Donalds on Immigration

Secure the border; end taxpayer handouts to illegals

Secure the border first; it was secure under Trump

DONALDS: Under the Trump administration, we actually had the border under control; it was secure. The Democrats have always wanted this massive surge to the border with no checks at all. Joe Biden ripped up all the Trump era policies that actually had our border secure.

Q: Democrats will say, "yes, it is true, this administration got rid of those policies, but it's because they were cruel and inhumane." What about a compromise solution?

DONALDS: When Democrats don't like a policy, they call it cruel. But what truly is cruel are the young women who are being raped in the journey to our southern border. They're being raped by the coyotes. They are being raped by the drug cartels. Also inhumane: the fact we've given operational control to the drug cartels under Joe Biden's administration. When it comes to negotiations with the Democrats on this policy, I say, "let's secure the border first. Let's finish building the wall."

Eliminate visa overstays and secure southern border

Strongly pro-border wall, according to AFA survey.

The AFA inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States'? Self-description: (American Family Association helps produce iVoterGuides): `Grounded in God; rooted in research`; they `thoroughly investigate candidates`; when they cannot `evaluate with confidence, they receive an `Insufficient` rating` (& we exclude)

Strongly pro-ICE, according to AFA survey.

The AFA inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished '? Self-description: (American Family Association helps produce iVoterGuides): `Grounded in God; rooted in research`; they `thoroughly investigate candidates`; when they cannot `evaluate with confidence, they receive an `Insufficient` rating` (& we exclude)

Anti-sanctuary city, according to AFA survey.

The AFA inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'State and federal funds should be denied to any public or private entity, including but not limited to sanctuary cities, that are not in compliance with immigration laws'? Self-description: (American Family Association helps produce iVoterGuides): `Grounded in God; rooted in research`; they `thoroughly investigate candidates`; when they cannot `evaluate with confidence, they receive an `Insufficient` rating` (& we exclude)

Allow immigration bans from non-cooperating countries.

The National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act (NO BAN Act) imposes limitations on the President`s authority to suspend or restrict aliens from entering the US. It also prohibits religious discrimination in various immigration-related decisions, such as issuing a visa. The President may temporarily restrict the entry of any class of aliens after determining that the restriction would address specific and credible facts that threaten U.S. interests such as security or public safety.

GovTrack.us analysis (4/21/21): President Donald Trump instituted a travel ban on eight countries: Chad, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. The Supreme Court upheld the travel ban 5-4 in the 2018 decision Trump v. Hawaii. Trump`s travel ban was popularly nicknamed `the Muslim ban` by its Democratic critics since most of the countries it applied to were majority Muslim, and because Trump as a 2016 candidate had indeed proposed a Muslim ban. Regardless, President Joe Biden rescinded the policy on his first day in office. Currently, federal law bans any person from being discriminated against when entering the U.S. on the basis of five characteristics: race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence. The NO BAN Act would add another category: religion.

Rep. Tom McClintock in OPPOSITION: President Trump invoked this authority against countries that were hotbeds of international terrorism and that were not cooperating with the US in providing basic information about travelers coming from these countries. The left called it a `Muslim ban.` What nonsense. Without this authority, the president would have been powerless to take simple, prudent precautions against terrorists and criminals from entering the US.

Legislative Outcome: Passed House 218-208-3 on April 21, 2021, rollcall #127; introduced in Senate with 42 co-sponsors but no further Senate action during 2021.