Inside the immigration bill: Special path for DREAMers

They have become some of the most visible advocates for changes to the immigration system: young adults who were brought to the country illegally as children.

Since the DREAM Act — a bill to provide a path to legalization for such young adults — died in the Senate in 2010, the immigration provision has increasingly become one of the most popular and least controversial pieces of possible change. Even Republicans who have not yet endorsed broader efforts, like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.), have said they support the DREAM Act.
So it’s no surprise that the Senate’s bipartisan immigration group included provisions that provide a special path to citizenship for the DREAMers in the bill they will introduce this week.
The proposal goes beyond President Obama’s deferred action program, enacted in summer 2012, which offered a two-year reprieve from deportation for many such immigrants.

A summary of the Senate bill indicates that young adults would be allowed to quickly enter a provisional legal status, which would allow them to live and work freely in the United States. After five years, they could seek a green card, which would allow permanent legal residency. They could then apply simultaneously for citizenship.

That five-year path is significantly shorter than that envisioned for people who came to the United States illegally as adults. That path is envisioned in the legislation to involve a wait of about 13 years. DREAMers would also be exempted from fines imposed on other immigrants.
The summary of the legislation does not outline who would qualify for the path. But Cesar Vargas, director of the DREAM Act Coalition, said he has reviewed the bill and its qualifications closely mirror those in Obama’s program.

That program gave a two-year reprieve from deportation to many immigrants who could prove they had arrived in the United States before they were 16 and had lived in the country continuously for at least five years. They were required to be in school, have graduated from high school or have received a GED or to be honorably discharged military veterans. Immigrants older than 30 and those who had been convicted of a felony or significant misdemeanor were disqualified.
The inclusion of the DREAM act provisions were one of the least surprising and controversial aspects of the Senate compromise — a fact Vargas said he considered progress. “DREAMers have been leading the debate,” he said. “It’s what’s really carried us over.”

Still, Vargas said his group would push for some changes. For instance, the bill envisions a 180-day lag time before any immigrants could apply for provisional legal status — time to be spent by the Department of Homeland Security devising a new plan for border security. He said DREAMers should not have to wait six months to start the process on achieving legal status.
“We want to make sure that DREAMers have the very clear path to legal status that even Republicans have advocated for,” Vargas said.

I seriously respect Vargas... and hope he qualifies to Dream Act!

Hahaha, Nice!!

I lolled so hard

so apply for a green card and citizenship at the same time?...sounds interesting and after DACA a huge mess .. cause nobody ever seems to know whats going on

highly inaccurate bullshit was here

Nothing to see here...

I know this may be an incredible dumb question. are they going to give us passports or visas to be able to visit home????? I reallly would like to be able to leave the United States for vacation and what not.