Thanks to Democrats tying a DACA deal to the next spending bill, the Senate has just under two weeks to come up with a bill that fixes DACA in exchange for ending chain migration and the diversity visa lottery programs. A bill also must include proper funding for the border wall.
According to a new Harvard-Merris poll, the vast majority of Americans believe this is a fair trade. When asked, "Would you favor or oppose a congressional deal that gives undocumented immigrants brought here by their parents work permits and a path to citizenship in exchange for increasing merit preference over preference for relatives, eliminating the diversity visa lottery, and funding barrier security on the U.S.-Mexico border?" an overwhelming 65 percent responded with "favor." Just 35 percent oppose. The poll also shows 79 percent of Americans want secure borders, with 61 percent saying current security is inadequate.
What new DACA legislation will look like is to be determined. Right now, the White House is outright rejecting the Graham-Durbin proposal because it doesn't offer border security. There are only six working days left in Washington before the [artificial] deadline given by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of February 8.
The GOP Majority now has 17 days to prevent #Dreamers from being deported. In every possible way, urge your Senators to vote yes on our bipartisan compromise to #ProtectDreamers when it comes to the floor.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 22, 2018
DACA doesn't officially expire until March and Democrats have not indicated whether they are willing to shut down the government for a second time over the issue.