On Tuesday, the lead author of an immigration bill said that making the new legislation more generous towards recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, who are now potentially at risk of deportation from the US, is under discussion to try and get it through the House of Representatives.
The bill, sponsored by several individuals, including the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Bob Goodlatte, would give legal status to young undocumented immigrants who came to the US as minors, who had already been granted protection by the deferred action program that President Donald Trump elected to cancel last year. But, the bill would only grant legal status for three years, pushing recipients into a cycle of uncertainty and renewal applications.
This is one of the obstacles that has prevented the bill from winning over moderate Republicans, along with other changes, which would include further crackdowns on sanctuary cities, refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, reducing legal immigration allowances, forcing employers to use the E-Verify program to ensure their employees have the legal right to work in the US, and boosting immigration enforcement and border security.
Goodlatte told a news conference on Tuesday that greater benefits to those enrolled in DACA are on the table for discussion. The bill is increasingly seen by leaders of the Republican Party as the last real chance to move Congress to protect the Dreamers this election year, though the Democrats have already rejected it.