Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

On the Immigration Parole Reform Act

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Let’s start at the grassroots of Iowa, a question that comes up frequently at my county meetings. Next week, I’m going to hold a Q&A in 12 of Iowa’s 99 counties, and I expect I’ll get this question that I’m going to pose to you that I get: 

‘Senator, what are you going to do about the open border, people illegally entering our country?’

My answer is usually pretty short. A long time before I came to the Congress, Congress passed laws saying you can’t come to our country without our permission. 

In fact, I add that we’re a very favorable country towards immigration, because about a million people come here every year, and maybe we should have more that come here under our laws – within those laws, not breaking our laws by entering our country illegally.  

I don’t get much pushback from that because I explain to them, we pass laws and then the president enforces those laws under our Constitution. 

The president has decided not to enforce the immigration laws. It shouldn’t surprise us he’s taken that position for three-and-a-half years because he told us before the election that he was going to open the border. 

But there are some things Congress can do about immigration, and that’s why I’m here on the floor today to ask Unanimous Consent for a piece of legislation that I put in. Maybe if this legislation would become law, the president still might decide not to enforce it like every other law. 

However, President Biden, as I have said, has the authority to secure the border. He’s already empowered under our current law to do that. He could do it today if?he really wanted to.  

It’s the same authority that President Trump used to secure our border just a few years ago. 

The Constitution makes very clear the president takes an oath to take care to faithfully execute the laws. 

President Biden doesn’t follow that constitutionaloath to take care in regard to the immigration laws. Trump did take that oath very serious. 

So, under the Biden Administration, some 9?million migrants have been allowed to illegally enter our country. That’s about three times the population of my home state of Iowa. The president's done that for three-and-a-half years

Let me repeat that 9 million figure—it’s like the entire population of Iowa nearly three?times over.

Instead of take care that the laws be carefully executed of enforcing the immigration laws already on the books, this administration chooses to ignore our border and abuse our nation’s immigration parole and asylum system. 

That’s what my bill deals with, the parole system. 

Immigration parole is supposed to allow the executive branch to temporarily grant individuals entry into the United States on a limited, case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. 

But instead of case-by-case, the Biden administration uses this program to admit entire categories of people as a means to?bypass the legal immigration pathways outlined by Congress. In other words, not doing it on a case-by-case basis.

The actions of President Biden are completely out of line with what Congress intendedwith the parole authority.

So, to address this loophole, I have introduced S.505, the Immigration Parole Reform Act. 

My bill will close this loophole and ensure compliance with Congress’ original intent as a limited authority for exceptional circumstances. 

My bill outlines specific parameters for what constitutes an urgent humanitarian reason or significant public benefit.

This bill would also provide clarity on the timing and extension of immigration parole, among other reforms.

At this point, Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding Rule 22, I ask Unanimous Consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 505 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. 

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