Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) are reviving discussions on a potential immigration deal that would combine border security measures with a pathway to citizenship in an effort to determine whether there is interest in a reform bill before Republicans take control of the House early next year, Fox News informed.
According to sources with knowledge of the talks, the two congressmen have a draft framework for discussion that would combine funds for border security with a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who are currently protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. An adviser to the Senate emphasized that the conversations are still in their very early stages and that the senators are disseminating the framework to determine whether there is interest and the possibility of agreement.
Another disagreed, saying it was premature to refer to the proposal as a “agreement.”
The measures would include maintaining Title 42 for at least one year, with a metric component in place for extensions. Title 42 is a public health order from the Trump administration that has been used to send away the majority of migrants at the border but is scheduled to be wound down later this month.
Other border security measures include creating regional processing centers to bolster resources at the border and adjudicate asylum claims, as well as employing more Border Patrol agents and increasing their pay. These measures were included in the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act from last year. Additionally, resources for imprisonment, deportation, and quick removal of illegal immigrants would be included.
The funding for such actions, according to a source, would be at least $25 billion and maybe as much as $40 billion, which would be a major increase beyond border security funding under earlier DACA-for-border security proposals.
For the estimated two million illegal immigrants who entered the country as children and are qualified for protection under the 2012 DACA program, that would be combined with a pathway to citizenship.
After a federal appeals court upheld a ban on new DACA enrollments after ruling the program to be unlawful, the drive for such a move gained momentum.
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