Trump’s immigration crackdown sparks bipartisan call for asylum fixes, protection for longtime migrants

Problem Solvers Caucus push for moderate immigration reform as President Donald Trump's mass deportation program is well underway.

Members of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus at the U.S. Southern border in Arizona. (Rep. Juan Ciscomani)

The caucus argued migrants are often pawns in cartel operations that charge $10,000 a head and use mass crossings to slip in drugs and trafficked children. While Trump and the majority of the House Republican Caucus applauded H.R 1's passage, the problem solvers argued a bipartisan, piecemeal approach stands a better chance than sweeping bills that may face the threat of collapsing under partisan pressure later on.

That Trump-backed package, signed on July 4, also steered billions toward detention capacity and new application fees while cutting access to taxpayer-funded healthcare and social benefits for illegal immigrants.

WATCH: LAWMAKERS BREAK DOWN HOW BILLIONS IN THE 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' BOOST TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies have arrested hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

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Trump's mass-deportation push is well underway: more than 139,000 people have already been deported, some to foreign prisons like El Salvador’s CECOT, and who were labeled gang-affiliated under the use of the Alien Enemies Act. In Chicago this month, the Trump administration launched "Operation Midway Blitz," which is targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records.

Jamie Joseph is a U.S. Politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering transgender and culture issues, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and stateside legislative developments.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lawmakers-call-more-moderate-immigration-plan-following-trumps-major-border-legislation