John McCain and Chris Coons are introducing a bipartisan bill today to grant permanent legal status to Dreamers. Via the Washington Post:
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) plan to formally introduce a bill that would grant permanent legal status to immigrant “dreamers” and start bolstering security along the U.S.-Mexico border. But the measure would not immediately authorize spending the $30 billion President Trump is seeking to fortify the border with new wall and fence construction.
The McCain-Coons plan also would grant legal status to dreamers who have been in the country since 2013 — a larger pool of immigrants than the 1.8 million Trump supports legalizing.
The bill says nothing about curbing family-based legal migration or making changes to the diversity lottery program — two other priorities for Trump and conservative Republicans.
[...] Whether the McCain-Coons bill could pass the Senate is unclear — but it is a nearly identical copy of legislation already introduced in the House with wide support. The USA Act, introduced by Reps. Will Hurd (R-Tex.) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), has 54 co-sponsors — 27 members from each party — and has been the subject of conversations between Trump administration officials and senior congressional leaders trying to sort out the contours of a potential immigration debate.
Will Mitch McConnell allow a vote? Stay tuned.
