WASHINGTON— Comprehensive immigration reform is top of mind in Congress as President Joe Biden works to undue border policies from the Trump administration. But the wedge between parties on how to tackle the issue is growing wider.
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) is making a plea to Democrats to finish the job Trump started. This week he visited part of the US-Mexico border wall in Arizona, just two weeks removed from Biden’s executive order that halted construction.
“[It’s] a huge loss of jobs,” says Grothman. “But even more, an order like that sends a message to people south of the border that America is open for immigration, and you're going to get more immigration we don't necessarily want.”
Grothman says the folks on the ground he spoke with during his visit were strongly in favor of the physical border.
“To go back to the old system and have so many people dehydrating to death, so many more people with fentanyl here when trying to get over the wall just are trying to get across the border,” he said. “It's just untenable.”
But Democrats like Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) are calling it archaic. She says there other ways to secure the border and bigger issues that need addressing.
“We need comprehensive immigration reform,” said Moore. "We need more administrative law judges, we need more cooperation with Mexico and Central America around what to do with the immigrant crisis. What we do not need are walls.”
Despite the fundamental disagrees on solutions, Grothman thinks a bipartisan comprehensive bill isn’t impossible.
“Oh, I think it could be done,” said Grothman. “The question is whether there's the will to do it. And I think there are some people who benefit by the current system”
Grothman introduced a bill on Wednesday that would require citizenship for immigrants looking to receive welfare benefits.