The U.S. Senate on Monday started an open-ended debate on immigration, a highly divisive topic that has eluded political consensus for years now. The debate, which may last the entire week, is not on any specific Bill. Rather, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has picked up a random Bill into which amendments that get the support of 60 Senators could be inserted. But getting 60 votes is not easy in the chamber, in which the Republicans have a narrow majority of 51-49.
The most urgent immigration question relates to ‘Dreamers’, those who came to the country illegally when they were children. President Donald Trump has announced the discontinuation, starting March 5, of an amnesty given to nearly eight lakh such people. He has also linked the offering of a path to citizenship for ‘Dreamers’ to a severe curtailment in the existing legal immigration regime. The Democrats are resisting the move, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday called for a Bill that only deals with the question of ‘Dreamers’ for now.
Nothing much on H-1B
The Secure and Succeed Act, being championed by a group of Republican Senators, is closely aligned to Mr. Trump’s views. It proposes family-linked visas only for spouses and minor children, an elimination of the diversity visa lottery, and the construction of a border wall. It does not mention anything about skilled workers’ immigration.
There are several Bills that deal with the H-1B programme but one being pushed by Republican Orrin Hatch is in focus, given the Senator’s proximity to the President. Mr. Hatch’s Immigration Innovation Act proposes changes to the visa programme that will allow higher wages and an easier route to permanent residency for skilled workers. The administration has not made its views known on this, and indications are that its immediate priory lies in dealing with illegal immigration and border security.
It was in 2013 that the Senate debated immigration the last time. It approved an overhaul of the system but the House did not hold a vote, killing the proposal. However, Republican Senators who argued for a path to citizenship for the country’s 11 million undocumented residents found themselves in a spot in 2016 when Mr. Trump built his campaign on an anti-immigration platform.
At present, Republican lawmakers have little appetite for any measure that does not find approval by Mr. Trump and his base. “Now is the time to back up the talk with the hard work of finding a workable solution. That means finding an agreement that can pass the Senate, pass the House, and which the President will sign. Not just making a point... The time for political posturing is behind us,” Mr. McConnell said on Monday.
