The fate of roughly 800,000 undocumented
immigrants who came to the U.S. as children
now rests in the hands of Congress.
That’s because when the Trump administration
announced plans to scrap the policy known
as DACA for short, President Trump kicked
the issue over to Congress, giving lawmakers
six months to find a permanent solution for
DACA recipients, who are also known as DREAMers.
And now — with the clock ticking toward
deadline — congressional lawmakers from both
parties are taking steps aimed at protecting DREAMers.
First, there’s the bipartisan Dream Act.
Lawmakers have floated different versions
of the bill over the past 16 years, each granting
permanent legal status to DREAMers, as long
as they meet certain requirements.
A group of Republican senators is offering
a conservative-friendly version of the Dream
Act dubbed the SUCCEED Act.
It features many of the same requirements
and provisions of the Dream Act but imposes
more restrictions and a longer,
15-year pathway to citizenship.
The Dream Act is the preferred choice of
most Democrats.
Top congressional Democrats believed they
had a partner in President Trump. They said
the president indicated he would sign the
Dream Act in exchange for beefed up border
security measures.
But the Trump administration has since released
a list of immigration priorities it says it
wants in exchange for an extension of the
DACA program.
The demands include — among other things —
curbing funding for so-called sanctuary
cities, hiring thousands more immigration
enforcement officers — and, notably, funding
Trump’s southern border wall.
Democrats quickly denounced the proposal.
Now the question is — can Congress do what
it hasn't been able to in over a decade: pass
legislation to protect DREAMers?
DREAMers say they're watching
— with a mix of anxiety and fear — not sure
of whether they need to start preparing for
the possibility of deportation,
or a lifetime in the United States.
