Four House Republicans introduced legislation today to grant amnesty to DACA recipients while addressing all of Pres. Trump's demands. The Securing America's Future Act, introduced by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, House Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Raul Labrador, House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, and House Border Subcommittee Chairwoman Martha McSally, would end Chain Migration and the Visa Lottery, make E-Verify mandatory for all employers, and beef up both interior enforcement and border security.
Reps. Goodlatte, Labrador, McCaul, and McSally were all part of the GOP working group that included members of the GOP Leadership team to draft legislation to grant amnesty to DACA recipients. Even though, the Securing America's Future Act was authored by just these four lawmakers, The Hill is reporting that the bill has received the support of the House GOP Leadership team, however, there has been no indication that it will be brought to the floor for a vote.
In recent weeks, Pres. Trump has said that he would like to see an end to Chain Migration and the Visa Lottery, along with additional border security, paired with a permanent solution for DACA recipients. The Securing America's Future Act combines a number of border and interior enforcement bills that have already been passed by the House Judiciary Committee, including Rep. Lamar Smith's Legal Workforce Act to require all businesses to use E-Verify for new hires along with a renewable visa program for DACA recipients.
The bill:
- Eliminates the Visa Lottery green card program
- Eliminates Chain Migration and creates a renewable temporary visa for parents of citizens to unite families at no cost to taxpayers
- Reduces legal immigration levels by about 260,000 a year – a decrease of about 25%
- Reforms the agricultural guest worker program
- Sends additional ICE agents to more high-risk embassies overseas to vet visitors and
- immigrants
- Provides additional technology, roads and other tactical infrastructure to secure the border
- Adds 5,000 Border Patrol Agents and 5,000 CBP Officers
- Requires full implementation of the biometric entry/exit system at all air, land, and sea ports of entry
- Makes E-Verify Mandatory for all employers
- Authorizes the Department of Justice to withhold law enforcement grants from sanctuary cities
- Allows DHS to detain dangerous illegal immigrants who cannot be removed
- Reduces asylum fraud by tightening the “credible fear” standard to root out frivolous claims and increases penalties for fraud/terminates asylum for individuals who voluntarily return home
- Grants amnesty to DACA recipients by issuing a 3-year renewable visa with work permit
