Immigration Reform USA 2017: Republican, Democratic Senators Join Forces to Push for Dream Act 2017
A Republican senator has joined forces with a Democrat senator in urging U.S. President Donald Trump to grant legitimate status to undocumented immigrants who have long been residing in the country.
During a press conference held to discuss the Dream Act legislation, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham told the president, "The moment of reckoning is coming." Joining him was Illinois senator Dick Durbin, who was one of the original proponents of the legislation 16 years ago.
Although the discussion has just started, the White House legislative affairs director Marc Short has already hinted of the administration's rejection of the bill. In an off-camera briefing, he said, "The administration has opposed the Dream Act and we are likely to be consistent in that."
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However, Graham made his stand clear in the press conference and said: "President Trump, you're going to have to make a decision. The campaign is over."
He later on added: "The question for the Republican party is, what do we tell people? How do we treat them? Here's my answer: we treat them fairly. We do not pull the rug out from under them."
Just like the original Dream Act crafted years ago, the 2017 legislation provides a means for undocumented immigrants to become legal citizens of the country on certain conditions. According to Durbin, the young people should not be "held responsible for the errors or the illegal actions of their parents." This is especially true for those who have pledged allegiance to the American flag while they were growing up and also knows how to sing the Star-Spangled Banner.
Meanwhile, Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of the migration committee recently urged the president to ensure permanent protection for the youth and reiterated the support of his fellow bishops for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which was drafted in 2012 to provide a temporary amnesty for illegal immigrants in the U.S. as long as they meet all the necessary criteria. Unlike the Dream Act, however, it does not provide legal status to them.
