Latest news with #SUDEM
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Democrat Calls for 'Speedy Path to Citizenship' for 11 Million Migrants
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost has called for a simpler path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, saying that the U.S. "should document every single one of them." Speaking at a Wednesday press conference in Orlando, Florida, Frost proposed the move while announcing new legislation about transparency with ICE. If documenting "every single" undocumented immigrant happened, it would make 11 million migrants legal, according to figures from the American Immigration Council. Why It Matters Immigration has been a central pillar of Trump's second-term agenda. The president has pledged sweeping crackdowns on border security, expanded deportation operations, and an end to federal benefits for undocumented immigrants. In recent weeks, there has been public resistance to this immigration enforcement. A series of immigration raids sparked a large protest in Los Angeles earlier this month. In response to some incidents of violence and looting, Trump announced the deployment of National Guard troops. Meanwhile, there have also been legal challenges to the administration invoking the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to broaden deportation authority. Representative Maxwell Frost announces his filing of the Stop Unlawful Detention and End Mistreatment Act (SUDEM) at his office in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. Representative Maxwell Frost announces his filing of the Stop Unlawful Detention and End Mistreatment Act (SUDEM) at his office in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP What To Know Frost said that "being undocumented is not a crime" and called to give undocumented people "a speedy path to citizenship." The conference was called to unveil his new bill, the SUDEM Act, which stands for Stop Unlawful Detention and End Mistreatment. If passed, it would give detainees, their families and lawyers more information about who is being detained, where, when and why, the legal authority behind each detention and make public other data. What People Are Saying William F. Hall, an adjunct professor of political science and business at Webster University in St. Louis told Newsweek: "Notwithstanding the potential benefits that may be realized, if such a program to achieve a goal of mass documentation of all undocumented U.S. residents could be achieved, in my view, it would still appear that successful implementation of such an ambitious program for mass documentation of undocumented, would be highly improbable, mainly due to the estimates of the vast numbers that would be required to be documented, approximately 11-12 million, and the significant difficulties related to implementation of such an ambitious mass documentation program that would have to be successfully overcome. "This would also entail the need to develop, implement and administer a program that would require additional personnel, and perhaps even more significantly, development of a program that would allow undocumented individuals to feel safe in both accessing as well as participating in such a documentation system, two challenges that would appear to be extremely daunting at the very least and highly improbable, if not totally impractical or even impossible, especially given the current highly tense environment with respect to enforcement by ICE and implementation of immigration policies in general, at present." Frost at the conference: "I want to be clear, being undocumented is not a crime. My Republican colleagues who say I don't want any undocumented people in this country, I actually agree with you. So let's document every single one of them with a speedy path to citizenship. That's how we fix this problem." "We can't let politicians like Donald Trump pit us against one another," he added. "We are an immigrant filled community." Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican called "blanket amnesty" a "dangerous idea." "We must defend common sense and the rule of law," he wrote on X. You can't make this stuff up! At a Democrat rally today, Rep. Maxwell Frost proposed BLANKET AMNESTY for EVERY SINGLE ONE of the MILLIONS of ILLEGAL aliens Joe Biden let into the country. Republicans will never let this dangerous idea happen. We must defend common sense and the… — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) June 18, 2025 On X, Texas Republican Brandon Gill said: "Dems want mass amnesty for every single illegal alien Joe Biden brought into our country. Why? So they can turn them into Democrat voters. And so they can rig congressional apportionment in their favor. We will never let that happen. What Happens Next Frost's bill is unlikely to pass given it would need bipartisan support and the Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives. Nevertheless, Frost told the press he will head to Washington D.C. to gather cosponsors.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dem shredded for calling to put 'every single' illegal immigrant on a quick path to citizenship
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., was blasted for arguing Wednesday that the best way to solve the illegal immigration crisis is by providing everyone with a path to citizenship. Frost hosted a press conference alongside multiple immigrant advocacy groups to announce his "Stop Unlawful Detention and End Mistreatment" or "SUDEM" Act. This legislation pushes for transparency in immigration detention by requiring all ICE-operated or ICE-affiliated facilities to be held accountable for their actions. Frost declared that he and his allied groups are "fighting to hold Donald Trump, his administration and this state accountable for a taxpayer-funded kidnapping program trafficking our people across the entire world that they're running under the disguise of an immigration system." 'Squad' Dem Says Trump May Jail People 'For Practicing Diversity' After Visiting Ice-detained Students After declaring that "being undocumented in this country is not a crime," the lawmaker proposed that the best way to lower the number of illegal immigrants is simply to legalize them. "We are an immigrant-filled community. We are a community filled with people. And yes, people are going to have different statuses, and to my Republican colleagues that say, "I don't want any undocumented people in this country,' I actually agree with you. So, let's document every single one of them with a speedy path to citizenship. That's how we fix this problem," Frost said. Read On The Fox News App Video of his comment drew immediate backlash online, with many arguing this is a mask-off moment for the Democratic Party agenda. "If citizenship is reduced merely to a piece of government-issued paper then it is entirely meaningless," The Federalist correspondent Brianna Lyman argued. Trump's homeland security advisor, Stephen Miller, responded to the clip by warning, "If the Democrats were to obtain full political control of Washington they would swiftly complete the project of relocating the destitute and developing nations of the world in your communities and then giving them the full rights and privileges of US citizenship." Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "Dems say the quiet part out loud - make EVERY illegal alien legal, including the murderers, rapists, and other criminals," White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said. "No way in hell." "Here is an idea: no," Townhall columnist Dustin Grage replied to the video. Christina Pushaw, spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, replied with a simple, "Nope."Original article source: Dem shredded for calling to put 'every single' illegal immigrant on a quick path to citizenship
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE raids ramp up on Florida's Space Coast with construction workers, landscapers detained
The Brief ICE Agents and Brevard County deputies are making arrests in Cocoa. Eyewitnesses say the latest string of arrests happened at an apartment complex and involved a construction crew. A new Congressional bill was introduced on Wednesday to improve transparency with increased immigration arrests. COCOA, Fla. - The Brevard County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wednesday that deputies assisted federal immigration authorities in Cocoa this week, sparking concern among residents and drawing new calls for transparency in immigration enforcement. What we know The Brevard County Sheriff's Office confirmed deputies assisted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations on Tuesday in Cocoa. Witnesses recorded the interaction with law enforcement that took place at an apartment complex on Clearlake Road. In images shared with FOX 35, multiple deputy and immigration vehicles were parked outside the Oak Meadows leasing office, and at least one vehicle was towed from the scene. Other photos sent to FOX 35 show other landscape workers being detained by immigration authorities and deputies earlier in the month on State Road 520 and Blake Avenue. Legal experts say employers can face consequences for hiring undocumented workers in Florida. People who saw the arrest at the apartment complex say residents and workers are fearful and are seeing authorities in the area more often. A new bill, called the Stop Unlawful Detention and End Mistreatment (SUDEM) Act, was introduced by Congressman Maxwell Frost on Wednesday to try and increase transparency with ICE agents sharing information publicly when arrests are made. The Speaker of the House says more focus should instead be put on supporting ICE agents and making sure they have resources to make arrests. What we don't know It's unclear how many people were detained in either situation in Cocoa. It's also unclear if their families were alerted by ICE about the arrests. We don't know if the people had warrants out for other crimes or only their immigration status. What they're saying People who saw the arrests are worried about families being notified since they're happening at work. Legal experts say it's not just employees who can face consequences if working illegally. Employers can also be held accountable in Florida. "Nobody should be fearful of living day to day in their homes or going to work," said Amaya Ruiz, who is concerned about how the arrests are affecting families in the community. "For employers that have more than 25 employees they have to do mandatory E-Verify to make sure they're not hiring undocumented workers," said civil attorney Carlos Martin with Forest Lake Law. "This bill is a step towards pulling back the curtain on our immigration and detention system," said Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost, who just filed new legislation to improve transparency with ICE arrests. "It's a patriotic duty. They're understaffed. They're overwhelmed with the workload. They're trying to go after the dangerous criminal illegal aliens," said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who says ICE agents need more resources to continue making arrests. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source FOX 35's Reporter Esther Bower has been monitoring social media for weeks when people have shared photos and videos of ICE and Brevard deputies arresting workers in Cocoa. She spoke with Brevard Sheriff to confirm their deputies were assisting ICE on June 18, 2025. She also interviewed an eyewitness to the latest arrests. On the same day, she watched a press briefing where new legislation was introduced by a Central Florida lawmaker on the immigration issue.
