As Senate debates immigration, Trump warns of 'last chance' for DACA deal


The Senate begins debate on immigration legislation this week, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announcing he supports President Trump's "fair compromise" for 1.8 million immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, known colloquially as DREAMers. The "compassionate resolution" would give DREAMers legal protections but limit other forms of legal immigration, a nonstarter for Democrats, CNBC reports.
The Secure and Succeed Act of 2018, introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), perhaps is the closest proposal to what has been requested by Trump. The bill would "provide a path to citizenship for ... [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] beneficiaries, but also allocate $25 billion for border security, eliminate the diversity visa lottery, and drastically curtail so-called 'chain migration,' limiting family-based immigrant visas to spouses and unmarried children younger than 18," Time writes.
"Republicans want to make a deal and Democrats say they want to make a deal," Trump tweeted Tuesday, adding: "This will be our last chance, there will never be another opportunity! March 5th." As Politico notes: "March 5 is not the deadline anymore, as a federal judge has blocked the termination of DACA" an injunction that likely won't get lifted until late spring.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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