Senate Immigration Deal Will Reportedly Cut Diversity Visa Lottery, Ban DREAMers From Sponsoring Parents

Tuesday evening, Politico reporter Seung Min Kim tweeted a copy of what is reportedly the Senate’s final summary of its long-awaited bipartisan immigration reform bill. Architects of the bill are expected to officially present it tomorrow.

If the summary is accurate, the bill will mark a victory for Republicans, who get some big concessions here. Among the most significant changes are the promise to earmark an additional $2.7 billion for border security (including more agents, infrastructure, and surveillance equipment), the prohibition of DREAM Act beneficiaries sponsoring their undocumented parents for citizenship (an attack on what Republicans condescendingly call “chain migration”), and an extended wait time for DREAMers to receive citizenship.

The fact-sheet Kim made public is dated Jan. 11, the date of the now-infamous White House immigration meeting when President Donald Trump referred to Haiti, El Salvador and the entire continent of Africa as “shithole countries.” It indicates that Democrats have agreed to completely dismantle the diversity visa lottery, a program Trump has spent time publicly criticizing in recent months. The program affects some 50,000 people from countries with lower levels of immigration to the U.S., but Trump has derided the visa for not incentivizing a “merit-based” approach to immigration sponsorship.

Also reportedly included in the Senate’s bipartisan immigration deal is an attempt to extend the wait time for DREAMers trying to receive citizenship. The pathway to citizenship will now require 12 years of residence.