Quick Hit: 

In a 2021 bill promoted by Vice President Kamala Harris, 11 million illegal immigrants could have gained a path to U.S. citizenship. The legislation, dubbed the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, was a key immigration reform attempt by the Biden-Harris administration, which ultimately failed to pass through Congress.

Key Details:  

• The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 aimed to create an eight-year pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants.  
• The bill proposed replacing "alien" with "noncitizen" in U.S. immigration law and expanded green card lottery slots.  
• Conservatives condemned the bill, labeling it as blanket amnesty that would incentivize illegal immigration.

Diving Deeper:

Vice President Kamala Harris faced renewed scrutiny for her handling of the border crisis following her recent interview with Fox News' Bret Baier. During the exchange, Harris defended the Biden administration’s early immigration reforms, pointing to the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which she claimed would have been a comprehensive fix to the country’s immigration issues.

The legislation, which the administration introduced on their first day in office, offered an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. The White House described the bill as a way to restore "humanity and American values" to the immigration system, but it ultimately stalled in Congress. The bill would have granted green cards to farmworkers, DACA recipients, and those under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), while expanding the green card lottery from 55,000 to 80,000 annually.

In her interview with Baier, Harris affirmed her belief in the 2021 bill's approach, even as Baier pressed her on its provision for mass amnesty. “Our first bill… was a bill to fix our immigration system,” Harris remarked. Despite these intentions, critics were quick to highlight its flaws. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., slammed the bill as “blanket amnesty” that would fuel illegal crossings. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who participated in the 2013 "Gang of Eight" immigration efforts, dismissed the 2021 bill as politically untenable.

As the 2024 election draws closer, immigration remains a pivotal issue, with voters viewing Trump as stronger on border policies, giving him a substantial lead over Harris. While Harris defends the bill, its inability to secure congressional support and the ongoing surge at the border have become major points of criticism in her campaign.