New Bill May Allow Millions of Undocumented Immigrants a Path to Citizenship
Democrats are scrambling on a proposal to add to the reconciliation bill this week to allow millions more undocumented immigrants to apply for a path to citizenship.
The current law allows for undocumented immigrants to apply for legal status if they entered the country before Jan. 1, 1972. Democrats are hoping to update the date to allow the path for millions of undocumented immigrants.
However, the Democrats are facing backlash from the Senate parliamentarian who has rejected similar proposals twice. The Democrats are trying to overrule this by a majority vote in the Senate.
Democrats are also still narrowing down the details in order to reach an agreement among themselves.
With mixed ideas on how to tackle this issue, many senators were still hopeful with the proposed changes so far. On Monday, Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said this proposal would give undocumented immigrants “a protected status that would enable them to work legally, pay taxes and live without fear of deportation,” according to the Washington Post.
Biden is continuing with negotiations on the reconciliation bill and hopes to get a deal before leaving for Europe on Thursday.