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The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill giving permanent citizenship to 2.5 million undocumented immigrants, at the end of a final vote at 237-187. Like most other elements of the democratic agenda, it is probably the dustbin of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Democrats House » Act of Dream and Promise, introduced in March, is an attempt to pave the way for citizenship to two main groups of immigrants whose legal status has been repeatedly threatened by President Donald Trump: unauthorized immigrants who have been brought to United States as children (called DREAMers) and immigrants with temporary relief workers. protections.
"Dreamers and those with TPS (Temporary Protection Status) status and DEDE (Deferred Forced Departure) status contribute to our country and our economy and deserve to be sure that they will be able to stay with us." their family to the place they called their country of origin. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer wrote this week in a letter to a dear colleague in the Democratic caucus.
Although a number of Republicans support the Deferred Action Plan for Child Arrivals, which currently protects DREAMers, the general scope of this bill will make selling difficult in the US Senate, particularly in the US. The approach of the 2020 elections. Immigration has been at the root of many of the worst fights between Trump and Congress, giving McConnell little incentive to introduce a bill in the Senate.
And even though Democrats have made the creation of a pathway to citizenship for DACA and TPSP recipients one of their top priorities, the much tougher work of global reform immigration remains to come. Opposing Trump is the easiest part, and the president's radical policies have had a unifying effect on Democrats. But develop a plan that also addresses border security and could get the Senate – not to mention the President – on board will prove much more difficult.
What's in the Dream and Promise Act
The Dreams and Promises Act is essentially a broader version of the leading democratic immigration bill, the DREAM Act. Although this bill is primarily for DREAMers, it is not intended for immigrants with temporary protection (TPS) or delayed forced departure (DED) status.
As Dara Lind of Vox explained, the DREAM law would have covered about 1.5 million immigrants; The latest version of the House Democrats extends this figure to about 1 million people.
The beneficiaries of the SPT come largely from three countries: El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti. Many of them have been living and working in the United States for decades, having fled their country of origin as a result of natural disasters or political unrest. DED, on the other hand, mainly covers Liberian immigrants.
As Lind explained, the three groups of immigrants would eventually be allowed to apply for permanent legal status in the United States under the Democratic Plan. But this would be done in different ways and would be a little easier for the beneficiaries of humanitarian aid:
Humanitarian beneficiaries (GST and DED) who have been in the US since the fall of 2016 would simply be allowed to apply for green cards (legal permanent residence), which they can not do for the time being. they do not meet the requirements. After receiving a green card for five years, they would be allowed to apply for citizenship, just like any other green card holder.
The DREAMers should demonstrate more things to get a green card, no matter what they were already in DACA. They should first apply for a "conditional permanent residence" that would only be granted under certain conditions.
As Lind has stated in his article, the requirements include:
- They should have arrived in the United States before they turn 18 and have been in the United States for at least four years.
- They would need a relatively blank record: a conviction for a crime or three separate offenses resulting in a total 90-day prison sentence would be disqualifying.
- They would need a high school diploma or general education, or be enrolled in a program to get one.
- Finally, they will have to pass a background check and other eligibility criteria.
This designation of "conditional status" would last 10 years. But the DREAMers would have other ways to apply for a green card at any time, including serving in the military for two years, working for three years or graduating from an institution. higher education (or at least two years as part of a bachelor's degree or technical program).
Democrats still have to tackle a comprehensive immigration reform. They want to wait until the end of Trump's term
Immigration reform has eluded Democrats and Republicans for decades, long before Trump took office. Even an agreement within a party has been difficult. Immigration has always been a thorny issue for Democrats. But with Trump at the White House, he became a political lightning rod that united the Democrats – especially after a month of government shutdown in January, when Congress refused to give Trump the money of his desired boundary wall.
But the democrats It remains for them to determine what their overall immigration policy will be, which will be much more difficult than opposing Trump's radical policies. The Democrats released Tuesday their Homeland Security funding bill, which included no funding for a border wall or additional border officials.
A path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants is only part of the overall immigration reform. The Democrats bill in the House is largely symbolic. all they can do is hope that a Democrat will be elected to the White House by 2020, before they have to start drafting a much more ambitious bill. on immigration.
"We are sending members the different parts of a comprehensive bill that, in our opinion, should be included, but the timeline is obviously much more advanced," Vox Joaquín Castro (D-TX), president, told reporters. Congressional Hispanic Congress Caucus. "We will first turn to DREAM Act and TPS."
The thorniest issue that Democrats need to understand is border security – they know that they do not want the Trump border wall, but they do not agree on the amount of border security that Democrats should offer.
Democrats have a well-documented history of supporting physical barriers – but not that of Trump, like Tara Golshan of Vox written in the middle of the government's closure this year. Customs and Border Protection spent $ 2.3 billion on the construction and maintenance of 654 miles of physical barriers on the southern border between 2007 and 2015, with the support of congressional Democrats.
A physical barrier is a cause of anger for the party's base, but Democrats will probably have to reach an agreement on long-term security, especially if they want to push for legal protection for all three groups of immigrants. .
It will be a much more difficult conversation to lead, and the Democrats would prefer it to stay with Trump away; it will not complicate the question further.
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