A new political convention has been organized in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by three Democrats, that seeks to reshape the debate on immigration. Rather than focusing on controls at the southern border, the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration aims to address the root causes of migration, such as global violence, civil wars, human rights violations, economic and climate instability (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/progressives-immigration-debate-caucus-root-cause-migration-rcna158820).

“The new Congressional Caucus on Global Migration will be co-chaired by Reps. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., Greg Casar, D-Texas, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif. In a one-page memo (https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24777632-congressional-caucus-on-global-migration-one-pager), first reported by NBC News, the Democrats say families around the world are migrating at unprecedented levels ‘in search of safety and stability’ because of a mix of global ‘violence, civil wars, human rights violations, democratic backsliding, economic exclusion, and climate instability’.”

Co-chairs Delia Ramirez, Greg Casar and Sydney Kamlager-Dove propose to examine the factors that drive people to migrate to the U.S. and develop domestic and foreign policy solutions to lessen this need. They plan to take quarterly action to urge Congress to take meaningful action.

Ramirez criticizes the Democrats' current approach, which he considers reactive and apologetic, and advocates for a more proactive and effective stance. She said Congress should position itself as an ally in global efforts to create a safer and more equitable world where forced migration is not necessary.

The new caucus, with 14 founding members, comes at a time when immigration has become a major political liability for President Joe Biden, prompting the White House and moderate Democrats to adopt more conservative proposals. In contrast, progressives like Ramirez and Casar advocate mitigating the root causes of migration through policies such as increasing humanitarian aid, eliminating destabilizing sanctions, and strict gun control to deter violence.

Casar points out that immigration does not begin at the border, but in the countries of origin, and criticizes the lack of attention to this aspect. He cites the example of U.S. guns fueling violence in Mexico as a problem that needs to be addressed.

Republicans argue that the border is overwhelmed due to Biden's reversal of Trump's policies, while Democratic leaders have accepted the need for stricter asylum rules. However, the new Caucus disagrees with this approach.

Ramirez attributes the shift in immigration policies to the right, in part, to the "great replacement" conspiracy theory, which alleges that immigration policies are being used to replace white voters with non-white voters to benefit Democrats. She criticizes Republicans for using immigration as a political strategy and accuses her own party of not doing enough to counter that narrative.

The three lawmakers face a major challenge. Vice President Kamala Harris' initiative to address the root causes of migration in Central America has not yielded significant results. With this convention, Democrats are seeking to show that they want to tackle the global migrant crisis as a foreign policy issue, beyond the southern border.