The House Passes the Dream Act, Now It Must Face the Senate

Change is finally here! When the Democrats took over the House during the midterm elections late last year, liberals rejoiced. Our government would be somewhat balanced, which meant women’s rights advocates, pro-immigration supporters, and environment defenders would feel secure knowing that President Donald Trump wouldn’t be able to get away with everything. Now we see the fruit of that House win with the passing of the Dream Act.

Yesterday, in a triumphant win, House Democrats and even some Republicans passed the Dream Act (also called the Promise Act) with a vote tally of 237 to 187. The majority of Democrats voted to protect the rights of DREAMers including seven Republicans. The bill — HR6 — would give not only DREAMers (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) beneficiaries) but also Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and Liberian immigrants covered by Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) protection to remain in the country. The bill would also help them apply for permanent citizenship. The bill goes along to say that people that are not in the DACA program could still apply for citizenship.

“Because of Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, millions of immigrants across the country live in constant fear that they will face deportation and potentially be separated from their families,” Representative Nydia M. Velázquez, Democrat of New York, said according to The New York Times. “Let’s send a strong message to the world that we recognize that immigrants make America America.”

Rep. Joseph D. Neguse of California gave an incredible speech in the House yesterday about the importance of providing DREAMers a chance even while Republicans yelled: “build the wall.”

https://twitter.com/JoeNeguse/status/1136089955724341248

The bill now has to be approved in the Senate, which will most certainly be hard to do because Republicans have the majority of votes. Political commentators speculate the bill will get rejected in the Senate, and if it doesn’t get denied, Trump’s camp already said they would veto the bill.

“This was a bipartisan victory; our Democratic Caucus stood unanimous and was joined by seven Republicans who know the value of Dreamers, TPS, and DED recipients,” the Congressional Hispanic Caucus said in a statement. “But we’re not done yet. We must do everything we can to push Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate, and the President to take action. We must keep fighting, but today, we celebrate the hard work of Dreamers, their families, and all the advocates.”

So, while yesterday’s incredible win for the most vulnerable in the country still means they face the risk of deportation at least they know that the majority of the country supports them even if some Republicans and Trump do not.