DREAMERS AND FAMILIES FACE UNCERTAIN TIMES AS CONGRESS DEBATES IMMIGRATION
Today congress embarks on a debate that could lead to an immigration bipartisan fix. With the March 5, 2018 deadline quickly approaching, the fate of roughly 700,000 people enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA remain in limbo.
As the debate begins it is anyone’s guess what the outcome will be as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has moved towards unleashing a free-for-all debate over Dreamers as his own endgame continues to be a mystery.
“The goal is for the Senate to vote on immigration proposals and amendments from every corner of the political spectrum. Anything that can get 60 votes will pass, everything else will fall by the wayside.” Kelsey Snell with National Public Radio (NPR) reported earlier today.
“Whoever gets to 60 wins,” McConnell told reporters at a news conference on Feb. 6. He added, “There’s no secret plan here to try to push this in any direction. The Senate is going to work its will, and I hope that we will end up passing something.”
What does this mean for the thousands of dreamers that have sat in limbo since Trump decided to end the DACA program last year?
“My immediate fear is that if Congress’ free-for-all debate doesn’t result in a permanent fix for DACA recipients we could see the largest mass deportation of children in the history of the United States” said top immigration attorney and immigrant advocate Glenn Fogle.
As one of the country’s top immigration attorneys with arguably the most impressive resume in some of the country’s toughest Federal Circuits and Immigration Courts, Fogle and his national boutique immigration law firm have taken a special interest in the DACA issue.
The Fogle Law Firm has teamed with non-profit The Immigration Education Project (IEP) to perform town-hall events across the country to bring special awareness to DACA recipients and their families. “It’s our mission at IEP to educate the immigrant community to enhance productivity and the quality of life for immigrants in the United States. With DACA in limbo we felt the need to not just focus on what’s currently happening with DACA but to create a safe place to open the floor to educating about other potential immigration relief options for recipients and their families,” said IEP executive director Esperanza Cristancho.
With so many complexities in immigration law these town-hall events have potential to cast light on alternative forms of relief for individuals and families in the event Congress fails to protect the almost 1 million dreamers risking deportation in early March.
As we keep a close eye out for any progress from Congressional debate that began today we encourage everybody to continue to stay educated and be on the lookout for any of The Fogle Law Firm and The Immigration Education Project’s town-hall events coming to a city near you.