U.S. Senate begins debate on immigration

U.S. Senate begins debate on immigration

Context:

The U.S. Senate has started an open-ended debate on immigration.

About the Debate:

• Immigration in U.S has been a highly divisive topic that has eluded political consensus for years now
• The debate, which may last the entire week, is not on any specific Bill.
• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has picked up a random Bill into which amendments that get the support of 60 Senators could be inserted.
• The most urgent immigration question relates to ‘Dreamers’, those who came to the country illegally when they were children.
• Recently the Trump administration has announced that it planned to scrap Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca), the program that gives temporary protection to undocumented migrants who arrived in the US as children.
• He has also linked the offering of a path to citizenship for ‘Dreamers’ to a severe curtailment in the existing legal immigration regime.

About the Secure and Succeed Act

• It is closely aligned to Mr. Trump’s views
• It proposes family-linked visas only for spouses and minor children, an elimination of the diversity visa lottery, and the construction of a border wall.
• It does not mention anything about skilled workers’ immigration.

About Immigration Innovation Act

• There are several Bills that deal with the H-1B programme but one being pushed by Republican Orrin Hatch is in focus-the Immigration Innovation Act
• It proposes changes to the visa programme that will allow higher wages and an easier route to permanent residency for skilled workers.