By STEPHEN GROVES
WASHINGTON — When Donald Trump took office in 2017 with promises to crack down on immigration, he was met by widespread protests that filled churches, airports and union halls as Democratic lawmaker vowed to fight the new Republican president at every turn.
The second time around, Democrats helped send an immigration bill to his desk during his first week in office.
Stinging from election losses, the Democratic Party has so far been splintered in responding to Trump’s push against illegal immigration. Yet the party’s soul searching comes as the stakes could hardly be higher. The new president is acting to seal off the U.S.-Mexico border border to asylum seekers and deport millions of immigrants who do not have permanent legal status.
“I think Donald Trump has painted the Democratic Party into a corner on immigration, and it’s going to take us a while to get out of the corner,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. “I want us acting out of conviction about what we believe about immigration rather than out of fear.”
Looking for areas of agreement with Trump
On Capitol Hill, a crucial faction of Democrats are looking for places of agreement with Trump.
Between the House and Senate, 58 Democrats last week voted to pass the Laken Riley Act, which requires federal authorities to detain migrants accused of theft, assaulting a police officer, or other crimes that injure or kill someone.
Meanwhile, other congressional Democrats said they spent the last week addressing the fears and developing resources for those who could be deported. Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif., joined a priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in San Diego last weekend, carrying the Eucharist from home to home because so many in the congregation feared to go outside.
What the Democratic votes may mean
For Republicans, the votes on the Laken Riley Act were proof that they had found a winning message — amplified and led by Trump — on illegal immigration. They are planning to continue pushing immigration legislation, as well as a roughly $100 billion package that would enable Trump to carry out his border and deportation plans.
Democratic senators willing to back tougher enforcement could be crucial. It takes support from 60 senators to advance most legislation, meaning that at least a few Democrats will need to be on board. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.
“It’s a really important moment for the country. And it’s always good when the right thing is also the popular thing,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after the Laken Riley Act passed. It was named after a Georgia nursing student who was killed last year by a Venezuelan man who had entered the United States illegally and was allowed to stay and to pursue his immigration case.
When asked about Democratic votes for the legislation, the party’s leader in the House, New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, was circumspect.
“House Democrats are going to continue to make decisions based on what’s right for the districts that we represent, and the politics will take care of themselves,” he said.
Since last year, many Democrats have steadily moved to the right on border security, emphasizing the need for stricter immigration enforcement after historic numbers of migrants arrived at times under Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency.
What Americans think
Half of U.S. adults now think increasing security at the border should be a high priority for the federal government, according to a January poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Another 3 in 10 adults say it should be a moderate priority.
While most Democrats oppose deporting all immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally, about 8 in 10 also favor deporting immigrants in the country illegally who have been convicted of a violent crime. The Biden administration prioritized for deportation those who posed a threat to national security. The Trump administration plans to go further by beginning its deportation operation with immigrants tied to crime.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat who last year won in Arizona while Trump also carried the state, was outspoken in his support for legislation such as the Laken Riley Act. He said that he’ was just reflecting the will of his constituents, including many Latino voters.
“They want sane border security, commonsense solutions, more Border Patrol, more customs officers,” Gallego said. “They want to see bad people get deported. They want to see an opportunity for good people — to find a way for them to stay here.”
The search for unity
Immigration advocates are frustrated by Democrats acquiescing to Trump’s tough border. They fear Trump can own the narrative around immigration.
Vanessa Cárdenas, the executive director of America’s Voice advocacy group, acknowledged that it was a “tough moment” for Democrats. But, Cárdenas added, ”They need to find their backbone and put up a fight.”
After the Laken Riley Act passed, leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a Democratic group that has usually played a key role in immigration policy, met with Jeffries as their party tried to formulate a united message.
The group said it would focus on action to keep mixed-status families together, protect farmworkers and advocate for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Still, the group ranges from progressive members to those who voted for the new legislation.
“We have to show we have the ability to build consensus internally,” New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Hispanic caucus, told The Associated Press.
At a news conference the next day, Espaillat laid out the practical concerns of mass deportations, from forcing out immigrants who have contributed to the U.S. for decades to rising food prices if agricultural laborers are targeted.
The event was intended to present a united front, yet as members of the caucus took turns at the microphone, their promises varied.
“We are going to be here to fight back,” said Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y.
Then Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., spoke: “There are opportunities for us to work with Republicans, such as fighting the cartels and coyotes who traffic women and children, provide an endless supply of drugs and hurt our border communities.”
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Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.
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