https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/sep/20/activists-progressives-demand-reversal-parliamenta/
By Kery Murakami and Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Monday, September 20, 2021
Immigrant rights advocates said Monday that Democrats must change, ignore or overturn the Senate parliamentarian’s ruling that the law precludes adding an amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants to the $3.5 trillion budget bill.
Some activists said they’re willing to give party leaders more time to change Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough’s mind with an alternative legalization plan.
But a growing chorus of voices said Democrats must ponder tougher measures, including voting to overturn her decision, upend 30 years of Senate practice and bully the amnesty through Congress.
“It’s time to stop honoring archaic procedures and honor the promises we made to immigrant families,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts Democrat, said on Twitter.
The National Immigration Law Center explicitly said Democrats must vote to “overrule” the decision and warned of “implications” if the party falls short.
The tough talk underscored the stakes for Democrats on immigration after years of promises for action that ended without a bill clearing Congress.
The new hiccup came with Ms. MacDonough, who ruled that attempting to grant legal status to as many as 8 million illegal immigrants was a massive policy change and thus can’t be tucked into budget “reconciliation,” a process that allows the majority to avoid a filibuster and pass fiscal legislation by majority vote.
Democratic leaders say they have alternative proposals that they think might fit into the rules.
Some activists said they’ll give Democrats time to make that case.
“The parliamentarian is a civil servant, and we want to be respectful of the role that she has played. She serves at the pleasure of Democratic leadership. Her response was political, but we have more political power,” said Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA, a prominent immigrant-rights group in the Washington area. ..