Immigration has been a very contentious topic in American politics. As Trump’s main rhetoric for making America great, he promised to deport thousands of immigrants when he got elected. His reasons chiefly revolving around the facts they took jobs away from Americans and involved themselves in crime.
The Majority and Minority Senate Leaders, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer respectively, stated on Monday 12 when the debates began that the immigration deal is not going to be an easy one to come by but they were hopeful that a deal would be struck.
Party Differences on Immigration
Republicans and Democrats both have their proposals on immigration. Democrats are fighting to give Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) immigrants a chance. In their latest move, they have been struggling to prevent their deportation set to begin on March 5. Trump had threatened to deport the DACA ‘dreamers’ on the basis that their parents brought them into America illegally.
On the contrary, Trump compromised in his proposal. Instead of deporting over 1.8 million DACA immigrants, he proposed a 10-12-year citizenship program as a channel through which the immigrants could become Americans. His proposal was on condition that he got a $25 billion border wall funding. He also proposed an end to the visa lottery program and chain immigration. He proposed the introduction of stringent immigration policies.
The two basic proposals are what the Senate is tasked with merging to formulate a bipartisan immigration agreement pleasant to both Democrats and Republicans.
Team of Senators Reach Middle Ground on a Proposal
The Senate, tasked with going through different proposals on immigration, put together a formidable proposal that can pass a Senate vote. The proposal has considered both the Democrats and Republicans wishes with the objective of passing the proposal in the Senate.
A 16-member team of Senators put together the proposal that reached a reasonable bipartisan agreement. Some Democrats and Republicans still expressed their discontent but Senate is hopeful for majority support.
The tentative proposal would grant a 10-12 year channel to citizenship for the 1.8 million DACA immigrants. It will also give Trump’s administration $25 billion over ten years for construction of the border wall and bar DACA immigrants from sponsoring their parents for citizenship.
Although Trump has gotten the citizenship channel for DACA immigrants and border wall funding, he does not get an end to the visa lottery system.
