GOP Senator Suggests New DACA Solution

After the Senate’s failure to advance an immigration reform proposal addressing the status of the beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program prior to its March 5 expiration, Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) offered a new proposal in an op-ed in The Washington Post.

When the Senate reconvenes Monday, Flake said he plans to introduce a bill that extends DACA protections for three years and provides $7.6 billion to fully fund the first three years of the administration’s border-security proposal:

"I’ll be the first to admit this “three for three approach" is far from a perfect solution, but it would provide a temporary fix by beginning the process of improving border security and ensuring DACA recipients will not face deportation.”

Whether Flake’s bill will get a vote is an open question — unless the Senate’s leadership agrees to bring it up for a vote he’ll have to ask for unanimous consent to allow a vote. That may be hard to come by given that both of the bipartisan proposals offered last week fell well short of the 60 votes they needed in the Senate.

There’s also the possibility that the House could attempt to pass its own immigration reform legislation that provides the "Dreamers" (as DACA recipients are called) with legal status. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) expressed that any bill brought to the floor would require the president’s support, and such a bill has been introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) in the form of the Securing America’s Future Act.

If either chamber is able to take up and advance immigration reform legislation when Congress returns next week things could get tricky if the other has to amend the bill to pass it, as lawmakers are running out of time before the expiration of DACA. As always we’ll keep you updated with the latest developments.

What do you think of Flake’s "three for three" proposal? Should Congress try to advance it or another broader measure? Hit Take Action to tell your reps, then share your thoughts below!

Take Action

— Eric Revell

RELATED READING

• The Latest: Senate Rejects Immigration Proposals

• Securing the Border, Reforming Legal Immigration, and Giving DACA Recipients Legal Status

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons)