Jul 20, 2017 - Politics & Policy

Bipartisan immigration bill pushes back on Trump's stance

Shannon Vavra

Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Dick Durbin are introducing the DREAM Act — a new bipartisan push to reform immigration legislation about rights and protections for undocumented people whose parents immigrated to the U.S. illegally.

The bill is butting up against Trump's intention to allow DREAMers to be deported, and just yesterday Marc Short said the administration would likely oppose the bill. Trump has until Sept. 5 to decide whether to rescind the program or face court challenges.

Big picture: Graham told reporters Thursday that when history is written about how the U.S. treated so-called DREAMers, he's "going to be with these kids" and that they're "trying to do a good thing," adding that both Trump and the Republican Party are going to have to make a decision about where they fall.

The bill's goal: To make a path for permanent residency for DREAMers. It's a little more expansive than previous versions of similar legislation, since in addition to providing a path to lawful residency status by serving in the military or going to college, it also would allow them to become residents by being employed for at least three years. Read a draft of the bill via McClatchy D.C.

There are roughly 800,000 DREAMers in the U.S. and Republican officials from 10 states urging Trump to nix the DACA program that protects them.

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Bipartisan immigration bill pushes back on Trump's stance

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