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US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION
US House passes immigration bills including pathway for ‘Dreamers’
WASHINGTON, March 19, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – The US House of Representatives
passed two immigration bills Thursday that would provide legal status for
millions of undocumented immigrants, but the measures have an uncertain
future in the evenly divided Senate.
Rather than trying to ram through comprehensive immigration reform similar
to the massive effort that failed in 2013 — and during today’s heightened
tensions along the US-Mexico border — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opted for a
different strategy.
She aims to coax a pair of more modest measures through Congress and
towards President Joe Biden’s desk.
Many of the undocumented immigrants who would be given status under the
bills “have worked tirelessly on the frontlines throughout this pandemic to
keep our country afloat, fed, and healthy — yet they are forced to live with
fear and uncertainty because of their immigration status,” Biden said in a
statement.
The White House has endorsed the two bills, including one that offers a
citizenship pathway for undocumented young people, known as “Dreamers,” who
were brought to the United States as children.
The American Dream and Promise Act passed on a vote of 228 to 197, with
support from nine Republicans.
The other formalizes the legal status of migrant farmworkers — who the
White House notes are “living in the shadows and vulnerable to exploitation”
— and offers them an opportunity to earn citizenship.
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would permit farmworkers and their
families to remain in the country, and in many cases become US citizens,
through continued employment in agriculture.
It passed by 247 to 174, an even stronger bipartisan margin.
– ‘Dying to feed you’ –
“It is precisely now, during a pandemic, when we need to pass these bills,”
Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairman Raul Ruiz said.
“Dreamers are doctors, nurses, lab technicians, contact tracers, and job
creators,” he added.
And “farmworkers are getting infected and dying from Covid at a much higher
rate than the general public. They are literally dying to feed you.”
The legislation’s success in the Senate, which is comprised of 50 Democrats
and 50 Republicans, is in question.
Any immigration bill would need the support of at least 10 Republicans to
overcome minority blocking tactics.
Striking a Senate deal on the complex issue looked unlikely, for now,
especially with waves of undocumented immigrants including children arriving
at the US-Mexico border.
Republicans have warned that Biden’s border policies will only worsen the
flow of illegal immigration.
“The two bills Democrats brought to the floor today would grant amnesty to
millions already in our country unlawfully,” said number three House
Republican Liz Cheney.
“Our focus needs to be on securing the border and fixing the legal
immigration system.”
President Barack Obama initiated the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals
program in 2012 after Congress failed to protect Dreamers.
Trump moved to end DACA but the Supreme Court upheld the program last year.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0835 hrs