In a bipartisan move, both Senators John McCain and Christopher Coons will be bringing forward Immigration Reform legislation in the hopes of a reaching a budget deal, before the government's funding runs dry on Friday.
What are the Democrats going to tell the rest of their base when THEY are the ones kicking out Dreamers because they REFUSE to work with @POTUS on #immigrationreform? What’s so wrong about a #DACA fix while SECURING our borders and ENDING chain migration?! pic.twitter.com/x1mi0T3Sto
— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) January 31, 2018
According to the Hill, a key part of the legislation provides "Dreamers" or those who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an opportunity for U.S.
citizenship, while reviewing current border security and determining what more needs to be done to better secure the Southern border. DACA was instituted by President Obama to protect children of illegal immigrants from deportation.
Immigration reform legislation
The legislation would give anyone who has lived in this country since December 2013, legal status and a path to citizenship. Senator McCain released a statement saying it's time to end the gridlock, so we can finally achieve a permanent budget deal that supports those in the military.
McCain previously attempted to provide a path to citizenship for immigrants living in the country illegally, but ended up failing. The bill will include a $110 million grant for five years that will improve coordination between border agency and state and local law enforcement.
The legislation removes Pres. Trump's demands
According to MSN News, the proposed bill will not include immediate funding for Pres. Trump's border wall, which could receive a cold reception from Republicans. This new legislation is asking to hire 55 immigration court judges for three years and calls for the State Department to develop a 3-year strategy to help Central America countries combat the causes of illegal immigration to America, including gang violence and drug trafficking.
Pres. Trump ended the DACA program in September and gave Congress a March 5 deadline on addressing immigration. It does not appear they will reach a deal before the Feb 8, when they will have to vote on another short-term spending bill. The bill also does not include a process that will reduce chain migration or increase deportations.
The legislation also does not do anything with the diversity visa lottery, which Trump has strongly been against.
Wall Street Journal reported that this legislation is very similar to a House bill introduced by Rep. Will Hurd and Pete Aguilar, which has received support from 27 Democrats and 27 Republicans. Senator Coons has said this bill is a start to resolving the two main issues: reaching a budget deal and continuing the immigration debate.
Coons also said that he doesn't expect another government shutdown and instead believes that Senator Mitch McConnell will bring the issue of immigration reform forward for a debate in the Senate.
