Posted on 12/06/2017 6:44:07 PM PST by iowamark
GOP senators are pushing forward with legislation that would extend an Obama-era program allowing young immigrants to live and work in the United States, while pairing it with new measures to bolster border security.
The legislation, introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), allows the Trump administration to build “tactical and technological infrastructure” along the U.S.-Mexico border.
It would target funding for so-called sanctuary cities that don’t comply with federal immigration law, bolster the e-verify employment verification program and crack down on "chain migration" by limiting which family members U.S. citizens and permanent residents can try to sponsor for a green card. The bill would also incorporate a separate measure extending for three years the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows immigrants brought into the country illegally as children to work and go to school under certain conditions.
“After having these discussions, and after meeting with the president to get his input and his support, we’ve come up with a plan. This plan is fair to all parties. It’s pro-American. And it’s a solution to DACA,” Grassley said from the Senate floor as he introduced the Security, Enforcement and Compassion United in Reform Efforts, or SECURE, Act.
In addition to Grassley, the bill is backed by GOP Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), Thom Tillis (N.C.), James Lankford (Okla.), Tom Cotton (Ark.) and David Perdue (Ga.).
The Trump administration announced in September that it would wind down the DACA program. It gave Congress until mid-March to come up with a legislative solution. If Congress fails to pass a bill, hundreds of thousands of immigrants will be at risk of being deported.
Senators have been jockeying over DACA for months, with the fight ratcheting up this month as several House Democrats and a growing number of progressive senators warn they will not support a government funding bill without a deal on the program.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) immediately panned the GOP legislation on Tuesday, saying the bill is not a “good faith effort to provide protection for the Dreamers, including those who were enrolled in DACA."
“The laundry list of unrelated immigration bills which they have offered is designed to delay and stop any serious bipartisan effort to solve this crisis created by the Trump administration,” he said.
Durbin rejected an offer from Grassley and Cornyn that paired Cornyn’s border security bill with a DACA fix that did not include a path to citizenship.
Durbin countered with an offer that paired the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act with roughly a dozen provisions from Cornyn's border security bill.
The DREAM Act, unlike DACA, includes a path to citizenship. But that's considered a nonstarter for many supporters in Trump’s base, which has warned him against breaking from the hardline immigration rhetoric used during his presidential campaign.
GOP Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) has been working with Durbin on trying to find a bipartisan agreement on the issue.
I don’t want too see a DACA exception at all because this government can not be trusted to enforce our immigration laws.
We have the proof in the Amnesty President Reagan signed during his term with the agreement that the immigration laws would be enforced and a barrier fence would be built.Well we have all seen the results of that.Highly unsatisfactory.
In which country in the world do illegals get to dictate to the national legislature on what must be passed?
Grassley is part of the swamp.
If you see cornyn , run . He is a horrible rino.there is a movement to replace him with governor Abbot., a good man and conservative.
So far
I cant tell yet. If our taxes actual increase after the loss of all our deductions we will see a slaughter in the mid term. I just have to believe trump that i get a cut. It better be true.
Trump must rebuke this treason!!
This proposed capitulation to amnesty is unacceptable. I think it is a lie that Trump supports this abortion. It better be.
Trump will be fine politically and win in 2020 unless he caves on amnesty.
Maybe I missed it, but I don’t see anything addressing the birthright citizenship problem.
She was killed by a DACA stay that Trump kept in country. He should have been deported when Obama's DACA ended.
Obama's daca was illegal, so is the current Trump daca. There is no reason to believe that Trump will not go for amnesty.
“crack down on “chain migration” by limiting which family members U.S. citizens and permanent residents can try to sponsor for a green...”
Notice, these fools can’t comprehend the concept of just ending chain migration period, they only can think to limit it.
No amnesty
No amnesty
We let these 700,000 job takers and they bring in 5 million more!!!
No.
Kate's Law.
And Kate's Wall.
Wall yes, path to citizenship no.
Blamed? What has "blamed" got to do with anything?
Nothing is being taken from them. They got a much better life and education than they had coming.
They just aren't getting citizenship. If they can't accept that, send their chronically whining @sses back to Mejico.
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