The Hill: Bipartisan Group Proposes New DACA Deal

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is introducing a bill to replace the Obama-era program protecting illegal immigrants brought to the country as children and to bolster border security, The Hill reported.

The lawmakers led by Reps. Will Hurd, R-Texas, and Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., claim to have more than 40 members from both parties backing the United and Securing America (USA) Act, The Hill reported.

The legislation would provide a pathway to citizenship for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections "while achieving operational control of the border," Hurd told The Hill.

Added Aguilar: "We must act immediately; we must provide them with certainty."

Some of DACA's 690,000 recipients unable to renew their permits have already started losing their status, and if Congress fails to act before March, the attrition rate will increase from an average of 120 recipients a day to thousands per day, until the last permits expire in late 2019 or early 2020, The Hill reported.

The group's sponsors told The Hill they have 80 hours — until government funding runs out Friday — to introduce the bill and run it through Congress.

"Many of us believe that a narrow, bipartisan approach is the way to solve this problem," Hurd told the outlet.

The Hill noted the bill comes on the heels of two two other DACA fix plans:

• Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., introduced a proposal last week with fellow Republican Reps. Paul Labrador of Idaho, Michael McCaul of Texas and Martha McSally of Arizona that would grant fewer and temporary protections only to DACA recipients in exchange for a range of border security and immigration enforcement provisions.
• Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., are proposing legislation that was largely shot down by President Donald Trump last week.

• Sarah Sanders: Dems Holding Military Spending 'Hostage' Over DACA
• Sen. Cotton: Dems Must Make Concessions to Get DACA Deal