Two American Senators Propose Immigration Reform Bill

On Monday, February 5, two American senators proposed a bill that covers the main provisions sought by both the Democratic and Republican parties. According to this proposal, immigrants who were brought to the United States as children will be granted permanent residency, while security measures at the U.S.-Mexico border will be increased. The proposal immediately faced opposition from President Donald Trump, who stated that any agreement must guarantee full funding for the construction of a border wall with Mexico. The bill was proposed by Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator Chris Coons. This proposal does not make any significant changes to U.S. immigration law nor does it provide funding for the border wall, but it allows those brought to the U.S. as children to remain—an aim of the Democrats—while also enhancing border security with Mexico, which is a Republican demand. The proposal addresses not only the construction of the border wall but also various tools to enhance border security between the U.S. and Mexico. Nearly 700,000 individuals brought to the U.S. as children are at risk of deportation. This proposal allows these individuals, as well as others in similar situations, to remain in the U.S. and apply legally for permanent residency. Most of the mentioned immigrants are from Mexico and Central American countries. Senators McCain and Coons stated in a joint statement: 'This proposal meets the two main demands of both sides: one is support for immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, and the other is increasing border security measures with Mexico.' Most Democratic senators are calling for a legal status determination for immigrants under the program known as 'DACA,' which pertains to hundreds of thousands of individuals who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children and are now on the verge of deportation. Recently, President Trump ended the protective program established during Barack Obama’s presidency, stating he would not continue it under any circumstances. Previously, due to disagreements over this issue, the federal government was shut down for three days on Friday, January 19. Subsequently, an agreement was reached for the government to continue operating until February 8 to find a more permanent solution. This agreement will expire in three days.