Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is joining Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to try again to pass the Dream Act to provide a way for certain young immigrants who arrived or stayed in the country illegally to become legal permanent residents.
The 2017 bill introduced Thursday would make young immigrants eligible for lawful permanent residence, a step toward citizenship. The immigrants must be longtime U.S. residents who are graduating from school or have a GED, or are pursuing higher education or serve in the military. They must pass background checks, show they are proficient in English and know U.S. history, and demonstrate that they haven’t committed a felony or other serious crime.
Graham said he has come to believe that resolving immigration is absolutely necessary for the country’s economic stability and security.
“This problem will not fix itself,” Graham said. He said the 11 million or so people in the country were able to come here because the country “looked the other way.”
Versions of the Dream Act have been introduced over the years and failed to pass, although it has come close a couple of times.
Durbin, who first introduced it in 2001, has been working for its passage for so long that Graham referred to him as the “great-grandfather of the Dream Act.”
Graham used the press conference as a forum to nudge Trump along.
