Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and James Lankford of Oklahoma on Monday proposed legislation that would force illegal immigrants who are using the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to meet tougher requirements as a condition of staying in the United States, and would also crack down further on illegal immigration.
The Solution for Undocumented Children through Careers Employment Education and Defending our Nation Act, or the SUCCEED Act, is meant to be an alternative to the Dream Act, which other senators are pushing as a solution to allow immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally as children stay and work once DACA is rescinded in March.
The Dream Act, which was proposed in July by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., would give DACA recipients who have lived in the U.S. for at least the past four years protection from deportation and a path to legal status.
Under the Tillis and Lankford bill, recipients would have to meet other requirements such as passing a criminal background check, and follow one or a combination of three merit-based paths in order to show they are productive members of their communities.
These stipulations include gainful employment for 48 out of 60 months, earning a postsecondary or vocational degree, and serving honorably in the military for at least three years.
“After a mandatory five-year waiting period in LPR status, they would become eligible to apply for naturalization if they meet the requirements or remain in LPR status,” according to a description of the bill.
“The Succeed Act has more rigorous requirements for undocumented children to earn and keep legal status. Additionally, the Succeed Act includes provisions that deters illegal immigration, prevents chain migration, and makes paying off tax liabilities a requirement for keeping legal status,” according to a fact sheet on the bill.
“If curbing illegal immigration is not a priority, we will never be able to solve the problem. The SUCCEED Act deters illegal immigration by directly addressing one of its main causes: visa overstays,” the sheet stated.
Tillis and Lankford said their plan would create 117,000 new jobs and increase the gross domestic product by $81 billion over the next decade, according to an analysis by the Niskanen Center.
The program would cost the government for the background checks, biometric visa tracking system, which the U.S. currently lacks, and processing cases.
