Letters

In an otherwise enlightened and important Express News Group editorial about immigration [“A Front-Row Seat,” Editorial, January 30], the following comment bears scrutiny: “… it’s a point of fact that both parties, over several administrations, have failed to come up with workable policies at the borders.”

In 2013, a comprehensive bipartisan Senate bill to increase border security and provide a path for citizenship was negotiated by four Democrats and four Republicans. These reform-minded senators became known as the Gang of Eight. This bill, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, also known as S-744, passed the Senate by a vote of 68-32.

This bill failed in the House of Representatives due to opposition by Tea Party Republicans. Too bad, because President Barack Obama would have signed that bill.

More recently, three senators — James Lankford (R), Chris Murphy (D) and Kyrsten Sinema (I) — negotiated a bill known as S-4361, the Border Act of 2024. Donald Trump said, “Kill it,” and despite the following statement from Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, it was killed: “This will allow us to remove single adults expeditiously and without a lengthy judicial review, which historically has required the release of these individuals into the interior of the United States. … While not perfect, the Border Act of 2024 is a step in the right direction and is far better than the current status quo.”

Too bad, because President Joe Biden would have signed that bill.

There exist humane ways to address immigration that would satisfy all stakeholders — those who believe fervently in border security and those who believe strongly in Emma Lazarus’s words enshrined in a plaque at the Statue of Liberty.

Mike Anthony

Westhampton

Anthony is a former chair of the Southampton Democratic Party — Ed.