On March 18, 2021, two bills that would create a legalization pathway for “Dreamers” and for farmworkers (H-2A temporary agricultural workers) received bipartisan support and passed in the House of Representatives. Passage in the Senate is uncertain, however. According to observers, prospects for both bills in their current form seem dim. Some believe that the agricultural worker bill has a better chance of passage intact. The “Dreamer” bill could pass in at least a scaled-down version. Efforts are being made to persuade a sufficient number of Senate Republicans to vote in favor of the bills, although there has been a hardening of Republicans’ strategy against passing any immigration-related legislation in the Senate while they spotlight difficult conditions at the U.S. border with Mexico and blame President Biden and the Democrats. As Sen. Lindsey Graham has stated, “There is no pathway for anything right now.” In addition to working toward Senate passage, Democrats are considering various other options, including breaking the legislation into smaller pieces that might have an easier chance of passage, tacking immigration measures onto other legislation that has attracted more bipartisan support, or killing the filibuster so only a simple majority would be needed for passage rather than […]
