In 2013, an ambitious strategy to legalize 35 million undocumented migrants was developed by amnesty advocates as part of the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” bill.
According to Breitbart, this initiative was considerably larger than the reported aim of legitimizing around 11 million migrants.
The discrepancy in migrant numbers caused ripples in political discussions, spotlighting the gap between the projected and previously acknowledged figures. According to a Politico article titled, “How Trump and Republicans ‘won the war’ on immigration,” the original estimate was markedly underreported compared to the actual aims of the law proponents.
The proposed legislation failed in 2014 amidst public and political resistance, emphasizing a divide on the topic of large-scale amnesty.
Felipe Benitez, a political strategist involved with the Latino community, reflected on this shift in goalposts.
Before discussing the block quote detailing Benitez's statement, it is important to clarify his strategic involvement. In 2013, Benitez was associated with the Alliance for Citizenship, backed by The Advocacy Fund, comprising various advocacy groups aiming for profound immigration reform in the U.S. His role included orchestrating a comprehensive communication strategy across 38 organizations.
Benitez commented, "Before [in 2013] we were talking about a pathway to citizenship for 35 million people. Now we’re barely figuring out if we can get 500,000 spouses of U.S. citizens protected status."
Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies, criticized Benitez's engagement terming the 35 million figure as "ludicrously inflated". This points to a contentious debate surrounding the real numbers and the impact of such an amnesty on various societal aspects.
Further complicating the issue, research from Yale University and MIT, reported by Breitbart News in 2018, suggested the population of unauthorized migrants might be as high as 22 million. This number is double the initial gleaming figures thrown around during the 2013 bill introduction.
Under the recent administration of President Joe Biden, there reportedly has been a spike in unauthorized migrant entries, with estimates noting 6.2 million arrivals and an additional 1.2 million via a "parole" loophole. Representative Monica De La Cruz criticized this massive inflow. "Biden's current government-directed inflow is reducing Americans’ ability to earn decent wages."
Such a massive potential legalization from earlier plans has had broad economic implications, termed "Extraction Migration", which critics argue shifts economic advantages away from workers to investors. This economic perspective saw significant pushbacks and politically catalyzed events including the election of Donald Trump in 2016, who capitalized on the immigration debate fervor.
Sen. Marco Rubio, in his 2023 book, pointed to the immigration system's exploitation as a symbol of broader economic shifts. "Across this country today, the immigration system has been corrupted and exploited. And it began, as many of America’s problems do, with the fundamental shift toward a globalized economy."
The "Gang of Eight" bill aimed for a sweeping reform to legalize millions of undocumented migrants, which ultimately fell through due to substantial opposition. The political reverberations of this failure were profound, influencing U.S. immigration policy discussions up to the present day. The journey from a potential mass amnesty to the current state of fragmented immigration debates reflects a significant chapter in the American political narrative around immigration.
