Are House Democrats Out In The Cold Over Heated Immigration Debate?

As the election draws closer, several hot-button issues are causing divisions within the Democratic party. Recent reports that the White House is willing to concede on several hardline immigration policies in exchange for Ukraine funding are undeniably adding to the rift.

One of those reported concessions, according to CNN, includes a “safe third party proposal” that would bar asylum seekers who’ve passed through other countries from entering the United States.

Progressive members of Congress, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley, have urged the administration to reconsider adopting right-wing immigration policies in exchange for funding for the Ukraine war. “Immigrants are people, migrant families are not bargaining chips, and claiming asylum is a human right,” posted Pressley on X. “Any policies that undermine these truths are unacceptable and a non-starter.”

The Root sat down with Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for The 411, and we asked him about these reported concessions.

“I haven’t had an opportunity to review any specific policy changes that are being contemplated,” said Jeffries. “But as soon as that’s made available to us, we will make sure that members of the House Democratic Caucus can be fully and comprehensively briefed.”

Jeffries’ answer is consistent with that of other House Democratic leaders who’ve said they have not had a seat at the table in these negotiations.

Last week, The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) expressed their concerns that they had not been included in discussions around the proposed immigration changes. The White House countered that they’d been in constant contact with House Democrats and the CHC as a part of negotiations. However, CHC Chair Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, D-Calif, told NBC News that wasn’t true.

“As a matter of fact, we’ve been the ones asking for meetings for weeks with the White House and Administration officials involved in the talks, as well as the President — and the White House has not been very responsive to our requests,” she told the outlet.

Although Rep. Jeffries says he hasn’t seen specifics from the White House on immigration policies, he believes that Democrats shouldn’t agree to anything simply to appease “extremists.”

“There’s nothing that should be agreed to that simply relates to a hard right-wing policy wishlist,” said Jeffries. “What should not happen, in my view, is that cosmetic changes are made that are simply designed to appease right-wing extremists.”

However, the House Minority Leader did not rule out making concessions with Republicans in exchange for aid for Ukraine.

“I think it’s irresponsible that immigration-related issues have been injected into the national security conversation,” he said. “However, since we are at this space where the border policy conversation is a part of the discussion, then we’ve just got to make sure that it is processed in a manner consistent with American values.”

The 411 episode with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will drop on Friday morning!