Manchin makes his border pitch: Expand worker visas, don't get hung up on parole

Manchin makes his border pitch: Expand worker visas, don’t get hung up on parole

Nov 30, 2023

Joe Manchin is pitching a new idea for the Senate’s bipartisan border talks: expanding worker visas.

The West Virginia Democrat also wants negotiators to just move on if they get hung up on parole — a top priority for the GOP.

Manchin is talking to senators in both parties about a proposal to add new visas to help fill open jobs across the country with migrants who are barred from legally working upon their arrival in the United States. While Manchin is not a member of the gang of six senators trying to strike a deal that would pair border policy changes with aid for Ukraine and Israel, he is trying to help triangulate a solution.

“We have thousands and thousands of people that come and these people are basically prohibited by law from working immediately, unless they’re doing it illegally,” Manchin said in an interview on Thursday. “Work visas have to be [issued] immediately so they can start earning and taking care of themselves.”

And as negotiations get hung up over whether to restrict presidential authority to parole some migrants, Manchin suggested that the Senate should consider taking a deal on asylum reform, border security funding and foreign aid for U.S. allies — without firmly settling the discussions on parole. He made clear that the package needs to combine border, Ukraine and Israel components to win his support.

“Parole could be the biggest concern, the biggest stumbling block. We’ll have to work around that,” Manchin. “Because if they agree on the rest of the stuff, parole could be something we can continue to work on. It shouldn’t be a deal breaker.”

Manchin spent two years as the deciding vote for Democrats’ agenda, but his entry into the immigration talks amounts to a reprise of his more familiar role as an active Senate deal broker. It’s also a test of his influence after he announced he won’t run for reelection next year: Republicans no longer need to deprive him of legislative wins in order to help defeat him, which would ostensibly make it easier for him to help find a compromise.

Though worker visa reform has skewed bipartisan, Republicans are trying to keep the ongoing negotiations strictly focused on border security and may seek to reject anything outside that scope. Manchin agreed that “the stadium is full” when it comes to the border, but argued it’s logical for migrants to pay taxes and fill jobs once they enter the United States.

“Trying to find out where that sweet spot would be and what we can do,” Manchin said. “The need is there for Ukraine and Israel, and the desire is there to do something on the border. Make sure you don’t leave one short.”

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