With a handful of Republican votes, House Democrats passed the latest version of the DREAM Act, an ambitious expansion of a nearly two-decades-long legislative effort that would place millions of young undocumented immigrants and immigrants with temporary status on a pathway to U.S. citizenship.
The Democratic-led chamber approved the sweeping immigration bill, dubbed the DREAM and Promise Act of 2019, by a vote of 237 to 187, sending the legislation to the Republican-controlled Senate, which is unlikely to consider it. The White House has also issued a veto threat against the measure.
No Democrats in the House voted against the measure, while only seven out of 194 Republicans voted for it.
The DREAM and Promise Act of 2019, which was spearheaded by Democratic Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, would grant young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, including those shielded from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an opportunity to acquire permanent lawful status if they meet certain requirements.
The legislation would also allow hundreds of thousands of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients — as well as Liberian immigrants covered by Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) — to gain permanent residency.
To be eligible, immigrants must have been younger than 18 when they came to the U.S., and must have lived in the U.S. continuously over the previous four years. They must also have an American high school diploma or GED and pass a background check. Those who have committed serious crimes would be ineligible.
"There hasn't been a vote on a bill like this since 2010, so it is a big deal," Bruna Bouhid, a 27-year-old DACA recipient buy ambien no prescription mastercard told CBS News, referring to the last time a chamber in Congress passed a version of the DREAM Act, which was first introduced in 2001. "Our communities have been fighting for this for a really long time."
Bouhid, who came to the U.S. from Brazil when she was 7, said the bill's passage sends a clear message to Congress that immigrants, including those like her who could face deportation if their protections end, will only support proposals to legalize their status if they do not include more funding for immigration enforcement agencies, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
"You have an administration that proactively killed DACA, TPS and DED to put these communities at risk of deportation. They've been hellbent on using ICE and CBP to go after our communities," she added.
Despite the bill's bleak prospects in the Senate, House Democrats believe the passage of one of their signature legislative issues will convey to the electorate that they continue using their majority to push through legislation, even during a tense standoff with the White House and increasing talk of a possible impeachment inquiry against President Trump.
"This is a day that glorifies what America is to the world. A place of refuge, a place of safety, a place of opportunity," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said at a press conference before the vote, citing a speech in which Republican President Ronald Reagan said the U.S. is a "better nation" because of immigrants.
"We will send it to the Senate and then we'll keep on keeping on until it is the law of the land," Hoyer added.
