Pearce bill would protect dreamers from deportation

Sun-News Reports, . Published 11:35 a.m. MT Dec. 1, 2017

U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-NM, has introduced legislation to provide protection from deportation for young immigrants who qualify under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that was initiated under Barack Obama.

DACA recipients, often referred to as “Dreamers,” were brought into the country illegally as children and had to meet several other qualifications to be accepted into the program.

On Sept. 5, 2016, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration would end the program, but provided a six-month window that was intended to give Congress the opportunity to reach a solution.

On Thursday, Pearce introduced HR 4488, the Preserving Opportunity for Childhood Arrivals Act. The bill would create a “conditional protected status” (CPS) for current DACA recipients allowing them to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation.

The status would be good for 10 years and can be continually renewed at the end of each 10-year period, according to a press release from Pearce's office. It does not include any work, education, or military requirement to qualify.

CPS recipients would also be able to apply for green cards through the regular process, as any other immigrant looking to come to the United States, according to the press release.

“After learning the DACA program would come to an end in just six months, I immediately went to work to develop a solution; one that will provide young immigrants around the nation with even greater certainty so they can continue to work, go to school, and provide for their families with no strings attached,” Pearce said in a prepared statement. “The bill I introduced does just that."

The DACA program had been challenged in court by attorneys general from 26 states. In February, 2015, a preliminary injunction was issued against the program by the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas.

Pearce sent a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in September urging Congress to find a permanent solution for DACA recipients.

“Since the creation of DACA in 2012, Congress has failed to act on behalf of those who benefit from the program by allowing a temporary solution to be all the certainty these young individuals receive: this is simply wrong,” the letter stated. “We must formulate a permanent solution. With only six months to act, Congress must work together in a bipartisan manner to craft legislation that is fair and just to DACA recipients.”

The bill’s introduction Thursday leaves a little more than three months before the March 5 deadline when DACA is set to expire.

Pearce has announced that he will not seek re-election in 2018, but will instead run for governor of new Mexico.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news...ion/913742001/