The House has voted to open a gateway to citizenship for young Dreamers and other immigrants who have fled war or natural disasters abroad. Thursday's vote gives Democrats a win in the year’s first vote on immigration.
The issue faces a steep uphill climb in the Senate because Republicans are demanding that immigration bills contain steps to toughen border security.
San Diego DACA recipients say they are hopeful but have reservations that the bill will fail in the Senate.
DACA recipients must meet certain education requirements as well as not have been convicted of a felony or significant misdemeanors.
The bill offers legal status to around 2 million Dreamers who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, and to others. Passage seems imminent on a second bill offering legal status to 1 million immigrant farmworkers.
Republican congressman Darrell Issa sent ABC 10News the following statement about the bill passing in The House:
“The children of illegal immigrants brought here in their youth are in a precarious position through no fault of their own, but DACA did not fix this problem. At a time when we are enduring a historic humanitarian crisis on our border, this expansive immigration bill will worsen, not fix, the challenges we face. We must secure our border, enhance enforcement of our laws, address the DACA group in a bipartisan manner, and act purposely to prevent this problem from happening again.”
