GOP senators to unveil new ‘Dreamers’ bill

A new Senate GOP proposal is being released Monday that creates a pathway to legalization for so-called Dreamers, but it won’t allow them to sponsor family members to the United States — one of several provisions that make the bill far more conservative than other relief measures for young undocumented immigrants.

The chief Republican writers of the bill — Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and James Lankford of Oklahoma — have touted their plan as a more GOP-friendly vision for the fate of young undocumented immigrants in the United States, especially compared to the Dream Act led by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Tillis and Lankford hope their legislation, called the Succeed Act, can win support from conservatives as Congress scrambles for a fix following the White House’s decision to begin revoking work permits and deportation protections early next year for hundreds of thousands of Dreamers.

Details of the bill, which is also sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), were obtained by POLITICO in advance of its release.

Under current law, green card holders can petition for close relatives such as a spouse or children to obtain permanent residency. But President Donald Trump has repeatedly slammed the concept of “chain migration,” a term critics use to describe U.S. citizens or permanent residents sponsoring their foreign relatives to come to the United States.

“CHAIN MIGRATION cannot be allowed to be part of any legislation on Immigration!” Trump tweeted earlier this month.


Tillis and Lankford have tried to address that demand by barring Dreamers who would obtain green cards through their legislation from petitioning family members, although they would be able to sponsor them if they become citizens, according to a person familiar with the legislation.


Some of the nuts-and-bolts of the new GOP bill, which essentially creates a 15-year path to citizenship, are similar to other past proposals addressing the issue of young undocumented immigrants who came here as minors.

To be eligible under the Succeed Act, an immigrant must have been in the United States since June 15, 2012 — the start of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the Obama-era executive action that Trump said he would end — and before the age of 16. They would be required to obtain a high school diploma, pass a “thorough” criminal background check, submit biometric data to the Department of Homeland Security and pay off any back taxes or establish a repayment plan.

This will give the Dreamers a “conditional permanent residence” status, which they have to maintain for 10 years until they can apply for a formal green card. In that status, the Dreamers must either earn a college degree, serve in the military for at least three years or be consistently employed.

The status must be renewed after five years. Once they obtain green cards, the immigrants are required to wait for five years until they can apply for U.S. citizenship, according to the legislation. Undocumented parents of Dreamers who would qualify under the new Republican bill are also barred from petitioning to stay in the United States based on their children’s legal status.

Tillis, a first-term GOP senator who has expressed interest in immigration for some time, and Lankford have communicated with senior White House officials for several weeks on their bill and have gotten a positive reception, according to one Republican source familiar with their efforts.

Trump has agreed in principle with Democratic leaders in Congress on a DACA deal that would pair border security measures with legislation addressing Dreamers, although the details are far from fleshed out.

Democrats have said Trump has agreed to the Dream Act, which is also backed by GOP Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Cory Gardner of Colorado. But many congressional Republicans are privately concerned that the Dream Act is too closely associated with Democrats and would subsequently struggle to attract support from a substantial number of GOP lawmakers.

The legislation is written to help give cover to GOP lawmakers who want to sign onto a bill protecting Dreamers yet still seek some tougher immigration restrictions.

For example, their bill also includes provisions meant to curb future illegal immigration into the United States. It would require future temporary visa holders — such as people who come to the United States on worker or student visas — to sign a waiver that would otherwise grant them an immigration hearing or other immigration-related benefits if they violate the terms of their visa.


Source: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/0...ew-bill-243100

So we can never petition our parents?:

Not while we are green card holders. After 15 years, when we become USC, we can. lol

Ah, ok. That's reasonable.

It will take us 15 years to become citizens. Once you become Citizen, I don't know how they can prevent us from sponsoring.

I guess let’s wait for full details but so far the difference seems to be 15 years for citizenship compared to 13 in DA. Also we cannot petition relatives till we get usc.

"Tillis and Lankford have tried to address that demand by barring Dreamers who would obtain green cards through their legislation from petitioning family members, although they would be able to sponsor them if they become citizens, according to a person familiar with the legislation.
"

Says right in the article... read people!

The whole "cannot sponsor while on GC" is a smoke mirror. When a sponsor is a GC holder and not a citizen, it takes years 5-8 years depending on what country you are from so we are better off holding off till we become citizens anyway!

All we really need to know is what "Conditional residency" means! If it means conditional GC like you get when you marry a USC where you can travel freely etc., this is good deal!

Can we travel freely with CPR?