GOP senators introduce DREAM Act alternative

WASHINGTON—Two Republican senators on Monday released a new compromise bill to address the legal status of undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children. Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and James Lankford of Oklahoma, lead authors of the Solution for Undocumented Children through Careers Employment Education and Defending Our Nation (SUCCEED) Act, tout their plan as a more conservative solution for young people protected from deportation under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The SUCCEED Act outlines a 15-year timetable for naturalization and sets up a merit-based system for immigrants to prove they are productive members of society. Under the bill, recipients would need to clear a criminal background check and follow at least one of three merit-based paths: consistent employment, earning a postsecondary or vocational degree, or serving at least three years in the military. After 10 years, recipients could apply for lawful permanent residency (a green card) and then citizenship five years after that. Lankford and Tillis claim their bill is a compromise between amnesty and mass deportation. Democrats are demanding a vote on the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act, which provides a shorter pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and gives benefits to their undocumented family members. The SUCCEED Act prevents recipients from extending legal status to family members. Lankford said the bill is not intended to be a stand-alone piece of legislation and expects other lawmakers to attach broader immigration reforms to it. Under President Donald Trump’s recent order, the DACA program will end March 2018 unless Congress acts.