The DACA program, which provides temporary protection for immigrants who came to the United States as minors, has been a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth.
However, today more than 600,000 dreamers are in constant danger of deportation because it is a policy implemented by the president through an executive order, rather than a law passed by Congress. This means that each new president has the authority to rescind the policy at any time, which has created uncertainty and insecurity for dreamers.
After a decade of conflict and debate, the future of DACA is still uncertain. Every week there seems to be a new lawsuit or a new bill to defend it. This time, it was Senators Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin who proposed a bipartisan agreement that would establish the measure as legal once and for all, and secure the future of dreamers in the country.
What is the Dream Act?
This new bill, called the Dream Act, seeks to provide temporary protection to those dreamers who have lived in the United States for many years and have strong ties to the community. It proposes to give permanent residency to young migrants who meet the following requirements:
- They are immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have no legal status.
- They must graduate from high school or obtain a GED.
- They need to pursue higher education, work legally for at least three years, or serve in the military.
- Must pass security and police background checks and pay a reasonable application fee.
- They must demonstrate English language proficiency and knowledge of U.S. history.
- They must not have committed serious crimes or pose a threat to the country.
Once a green card is obtained, dreamers may apply for naturalized citizenship after 5 years of lawful permanent residence.
What does it need to pass?
For the bill to pass in the Upper House it must get 60 votes and then move to the House of Representatives, where 218 votes are required for passage.
Why is it important for dreamers?
Proponents of the initiative point out that this measure is necessary because of the lack of action by Congress to address the immigration problem and DACA. Most dreamers have lived in the United States since they were very young children and have built their lives here, but have no clear path to regularizing their immigration status.
Paving their path to permanent residency is at the very least a necessity. Many of them work in essential jobs, such as in health care and agriculture, and have been on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic. However, many do not have access to the same resources as citizens and legal residents, such as health care and financial aid programs.
Dream Act advocates hope that this initiative can provide relief and security for dreamers while working on a long-term solution to immigration reform. The bill is currently in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and is expected to be one of the main issues in the immigration reform debate in the coming months.
In summary, this measure is necessary due to the lack of Congressional action on immigration reform and the uncertainty faced by many immigrants.