A bipartisan group of six senators have agreed on a framework for an immigration deal that solves the status of DREAMers, as well as addresses President Trump’s demand of funding for a border wall. The lawmakers rushed to the White House to present the details to the president. According to White House staffers the president has not yet agreed to the deal.
Under the deal DREAMers would be eligible for a 12-year pathway to citizenship. Those who have are already DACA beneficiaries would be eligible for a 10-year path because they would be granted a two-year credit for being valid DACA-permit holders.
The deal would include $2.7 billion in funding for border security, which would include the president’s $1.6 billion request for the border wall. The remaining $1.1 billion in funding would be dedicated to security infrastructure and technology.
The group of six senators includes: Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). The group vowed to keep working until they’ve reached a deal that the entire Senate, as well as the president, can support.
“President Trump called on Congress to solve the DACA challenge. We have been working for four months and have reached an agreement in principle that addresses border security, the diversity visa lottery, chain migration/family reunification, and the Dream Act — the areas outlined by the President. We are now working to build support for that deal in Congress,” the group said in a joint statement.