House Democrats introduced new motion to force a floor vote on the DREAM Act this upcoming Monday. The bill would turn Obama’s executive order DACA Amnesty into law.
Using what is known as a discharge petition, any bill could be brought to the floor without having been approved first by House leadership. Democrats need a majority of members to sign the petition in question, requiring Republican signatures as well.
Never the less, the Minority Whip, Steny Hoyer, urged the Republicans to sign on the bill, arguing (sadly, correctly) that at some point in the recent past, a vast majority of the GOP — including Speaker Paul Ryan — have expressed some sort of support for DACA Amnesty.
“There’s already bipartisan support to pass the DREAM Act,” Hoyer argued. “Both the Speaker and the majority leader [Rep. Kevin McCarthy] have spoken sympathetically about the Dreamers.”
Under the DREAM Act, between 1.2 million and 1.8 million illegals would receive work permits, allowing them to stay in the country indefinitely and compete for jobs with American workers. Different versions of the DREAM Act have existed since 2001, but none have succeeded.
However, Trump has given DACA recipients whose current two-year permits end before March 5 a deadline of Oct. 5 to renew their permits. This means that now those recipients eligible to renew their permits had just one month to submit their paperwork and a $495 processing fee – or else they lose their DACA status.
“That’s just not enough time,” Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi complained, noting that the Texas and Florida – who are swarming with illegals – have both been affected by the destructions caused by the Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and may interfere with illegals getting their amnesty paperwork in.
Rep. Joaquin Castro said that these deadlines are creating unnecessary fear among the DACA recipient, “This is a very terrifying time for the 800,000 people we know as DACA recipients or Dreamers,” he said.
The DREAM Act is technically too young to qualify for a discharge petition until Oct. 5, as 30 legislative days must pass between the time the bills are introduced and when they become eligible for processing via the normal channels.
