President Donald Trump‘s administration released a surprising proposal Thursday, offering a path to citizenship for 1.8 million immigrants, including “Dreamers.” The plan also includes $25 billion for a “trust fund” to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to the Washington Post, the administration plans to submit the proposal to the Senate on Monday.
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Titled the “White House Framework on Immigration Reform & Border Security,” it calls for a 10 to 12-year “path to citizenship” for DACA recipients and “other DACA-eligible illegal immigrants.” The White House estimates that the description covers 1.8 million.
That number is much higher than the estimated total of DACA recipients when Trump ended the program in September. According to Pew Research Center, there were 690,000 immigrants enrolled in the program. It protected immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and either worked or went to school. The program was expanded through an executive order by President Barack Obama. Congress promised to act after the short government shutdown.
According to the Trump plan, the “path to citizenship” will have “requirements for work, education and good moral character.” Status could also be revoked for “criminal conduct or public safety and national security concerns, public charge, fraud, etc.”
While the “path to citizenship” might win over Democrats, the proposal also includes a bone for Republicans and longtime Trump supporters. It includes an expansion of border security and the “minimum tools necessary” for it. Trump proposes a $25 billion “trust fund” for a “border wall system.” He also called for “northern border improvements and enhancements.”
White House officials told reporters that they hope Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) will bring the bill to the Senate floor on Feb. 6. That is two days before Congress has to vote again on a spending bill to keep the government running. Democrats and a few Republicans have said they will not vote for another short-term spending bill without new immigration legislation.
“This is kind of a bottom line,” an administration official told The Washington Post. “This is the president’s position. Then it goes to the Hill and they digest it and develop a bill they think can pass. … If it’s realistic, he’ll sign it. If not, he won’t.”
Photo credit: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
