Third Way Statement on the Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act

WASHINGTON—Third Way released the following statement from Lanae Erickson, Senior Vice President for Social Policy, Education, & Politics:

“For far too many years, a faction of far-right Republicans have blocked bipartisan immigration reform in Congress. As a result, our immigration courts are overwhelmed and under-resourced, leaving many migrants and asylum seekers in limbo for years when they are simply trying to follow the rules and make their case under our laws.

“Bipartisan action is needed to surge resources to the border to address the immigration court backlog. That’s why Third Way supports the bipartisan and bicameral Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act introduced by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Representatives Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Maria Salazar (R-FL). This bill would reduce the current court backlog and strengthen due process for unaccompanied children crossing the border by creating a Children’s Court. Unaccompanied children are some of the most vulnerable in our immigration system and should not be left to navigate it on their own. The Children’s Court would ensure that unaccompanied children are given the resources they need, such as specially trained judges and language and legal services, to have their case tried in a fair, child-friendly, and swift manner. This targeted surge of resources will help reduce the current strain of court backlogs on our immigration system while we await the opportunity to truly fix the system moving forward.

“This bill is an important first step toward immigration reform, and we hope to see more to come from this group of bipartisan and bicameral policymakers. We applaud them for being willing to champion solutions, not just empty rhetoric and political attacks.”