Rep. Suozzi Urges Biden to Allow Work Permits for Illegal Immigrant Spouses of Americans

Tom Suozzi on the campaign trail at his Westbury campaign office in Westbury, N.Y., on Feb. 13, 2024. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

NEW YORK—The new asylum rules for migrants at the border announced by President Joe Biden are lacking in that they do not provide relief for the illegal immigrant spouses of American citizens.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) discussed the missing piece during a Zoom press conference on June 4 in which he applauded Mr. Biden for bringing alleged order to the border.

“I always say that I would want the president to be both tough and humane and I want to see the humane stuff, especially work permits for these 1 million people who are married to American citizens at some point in the near future,” Mr. Suozzi told The Epoch Times after a press conference in response to a question.

Mr. Suozzi co-chairs the Democrats for Border Security Task Force and is a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

He flipped Congressional District 3’s seat in Queens and Long Island back to blue on Feb. 13 after he defeated Republican Mazi Pilip. The special election was ordered by New York’s Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul to replace disgraced former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) until November.

“Most Americans think people who are married to U.S. citizens can easily become U.S. citizens but there are a million people in the United States of America that are undocumented and are married to U.S. citizens, but they’re not doing anything on that on today,” he said. “The bottom line is that the president is taking action to try and address the asylum abuse that’s taking place right now.”

An American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report, “From Hope to Heartbreak,” documented instances in which migrants lost their personal belongings at the border when apprehended by immigration officials.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) gives an interview in Laredo, Texas, on Oct. 9, 2019. Veronica Cardenas/Reuters

Mr. Biden’s order purports to reduce the number of asylum-seekers who gain entry into the United States by setting a limit of 4,000 people who can cross the border. That 4,000 will include 1,500 people who arrive at ports of entry, according to Mr. Suozzi.

“That would limit it to 2,500 people who could come in between the ports of entry,” Mr. Suozzi said. “We haven’t been here at 2,500 for a long time. Starting as soon as the executive order is signed those people will be turned back at the border and sent to Mexico.”

But Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for former U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign, criticized the order for allegedly facilitating the quick release of more illegal immigrants with a smartphone app.“The order also exempts minors from any enforcement, giving a green light to child traffickers and sex traffickers,” Ms. Leavitt said in a statement. “Let’s be clear—Joe Biden’s Executive Order is for amnesty, not border security. If Joe Biden truly wanted to shut down the border, he could do so with a swipe of the same pen, but he never will because he is controlled by radical left Democrats who seek to destroy America.”

When asked about Mr. Trump’s criticism of Mr. Biden’s executive order, Mr. Suozzi alleged the president was forced to issue the order due to a lack of action on the part of the GOP-majority Congress.

“The executive order is not amnesty,” he added. “It’s telling people they can’t come in. So, it’s nothing like that whatsoever. There will be some special circumstances when people display particularly threatening credible fear, but that will be the exception as opposed to the rule.”

The Democrats for Border Security Task Force want bipartisan Senate compromise legislation to repair the outdated asylum system, which they allege was thwarted by former President Trump.

The executive order is an important step, according to the Task Force, which is co-chaired by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas).

“Now, Republican leadership must finally allow the House to vote on the bipartisan Senate legislation proposed earlier this year,” a Democrats for Border Security Task Force statement said.

Meanwhile, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) called to mind the Secure the Border Act, which House Republicans approved.

They called Mr. Biden’s immigration executive order an “election year charade” because it allegedly does nothing to end parole abuses or catch-and-release.

“It continues the administration’s abuse of the CBP One app,” the joint GOP leadership statement said. “It does not reimplement President Trump’s successful Remain in Mexico policy. It provides no new resources for border patrol. It does nothing to deport the millions who have poured over our open border every year since Biden took office. And it will still allow scores of additional illegal immigrants to flood into our country before any so-called shutdown authority kicks in.”