The U.S. Senate rejected 4 immigration reform bills. Immigration reform is very difficult.

The U.S. Senate rejected 4 immigration reform bills. Immigration reform is very difficult. Video: The U.S. White House rejects the bipartisan immigration reform bill of the U.S. Senate. Source: Shanghai Dongfang Gao…

Video: The U.S. White House rejects the bipartisan immigration reform bill of the U.S. Senate. Source: Shanghai Oriental HD

Deadlock makes it difficult to advance U.S. immigration reform

A few days ago, the U.S. Senate rejected four immigration reform bills in succession, and the public debate on immigration reform in the Senate once again ended without any results. As the date for the full implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program approaches, the fate of young people ("Dreamers") under the program has once again attracted public attention. The Senate battle on the issue shows that successfully completing immigration reform will not be easy.

This immigration reform has two main contents. The first is the fate of "Dream Chasers". U.S. media estimate that under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, about 700,000 young people are exempt from deportation, and about 1.1 million people are eligible for exemption from deportation but have not applied for the program. In September last year, US President Trump abolished the project, suspended its implementation for half a year, and asked Congress to reach a replacement agreement during this period. March 5 this year will be the deadline. If Congress still cannot reach a solution by then, the "Dreamers" may be deported.

The second is to build the US-Mexico border wall. Trump has repeatedly stated that he will refuse to sign the immigration reform package if it does not include building a border wall. Trump was elected with a tough "anti-immigration" image and has continued to speak out on this issue, which has made the problem even more difficult.

The White House had previously agreed with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals alternative in exchange for Democratic support for the construction of the border wall. However, Schumer later issued a statement withdrawing his support for the construction of the border wall. After the immigration reform bill was defeated, Schumer accused the White House of participating in the immigration reform negotiations between lawmakers from both parties. Senate Republican leader McConnell said that the bill enacted by the Senate must be "feasible", that is, the House of Representatives can pass it and Trump can sign it.

On January 20, the U.S. federal government shut down due to failed immigration reform. Congress has made no meaningful progress on the issue in more than a month. Due to time constraints and the "lessons" from the two federal government shutdowns, many senators have expressed positive attitudes towards the immigration reform bill, but no compromise has yet been reached. Local media pointed out that this reflects the extreme divisions in the U.S. Congress.

American liberals and conservatives have serious differences on the issue of immigration reform. Liberals believe that we should respond to the voice of the majority of the people and allow "Dreamers" to continue to stay in the United States. Conservatives believe that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is just a promise made by former President Obama to illegal immigrants.

Immigration is a sensitive topic in the United States, and it is also a political issue related to votes. In recent years, governments of both parties have been trying to promote comprehensive immigration reform, but with limited success. In 2013, the Obama administration pushed for comprehensive immigration reform to provide a path to naturalization for about 11 million illegal immigrants, but it failed to win support from the House of Representatives.

While Congress is engaged in fierce battles over immigration, the U.S. federal government’s immigration policies have become tougher. Early last year, Trump signed an executive order requiring stronger law enforcement and expanding the focus of law enforcement from those with criminal records to all illegal immigrants. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a total of 143,000 illegal immigrants in 2017, a new high in the past three years.

In a recent closed-door meeting, the Supreme Court discussed the possibility of the Department of Justice’s appeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Previously, a federal judge ruled that the decision to abolish the project should be suspended. The Department of Justice bypassed the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and other procedures and appealed directly to the Supreme Court. U.S. media analysis said that it usually takes two months for eligible immigrants to apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and even if the Supreme Court rules that the program continues to be implemented, it will cause problems. (Reporter Zhang Penghui)