'Squad' member Pramila Jayapal introduces bill to decriminalize illegal border crossings

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), a member of the group of progressive federal legislators known as "the squad," re-introduced a bill with Congressman Jesús Chuy Garcia to decriminalize crossing the US border illegally.

The representatives announced the legislation, dubbed the "New Way Forward Act," during a Facebook live event on Tuesday, according to Fox News. The bill was originally proposed in December of 2019, but did not make it to a vote.

"We have to deliver on a real, humane reform of our immigration system," argued Jayapal. "America’s racist, xenophobic… immigration system has been broken for decades."

Jayapal argued that it was not enough to simply reverse what she described as the "hateful" immigration policies of Donald Trump, and that the bill would seek to advance racial process and ensure due process.

Under the bill, police would be prohibited under federal law from apprehending illegal immigrants, mandatory deportation of illegal immigrants who have committed certain crimes in the United States would be abolished, and immigration judges would be required "to impose the least restrictive detention conditions necessary."

The announcement comes just hours after a federal judge dealt a blow to President Joe Biden's immigration policy, putting a temporary halt to Biden's 100 day moratorium on deportations.